For our session on medieval and early modern trans history, we had the pleasure of hearing from three fantastic trans scholars about their research and the challenges and opportunities they see themselves confronted with when communicating their research to the public.
Splitting the session into two parts, we used the first hour to introduce our three guests and discuss the papers we read in preparation for the session. The three selected papers provided insights into our guest’s research and background information for their talks. Preparing for the talks and Q&As, we discussed potential questions for the researchers, which resulted in lively discussions following each presentation.
In the second half of our session, we heard from our three wonderful guests – Dr Basil Price, Dr Kit Heyam, and Jamey Jesperson – and had the opportunity to ask questions about their research and public history experiences. Filled with interesting and inquisitive questions by our students, the hour flew by in no time. We could have easily continued for another hour or so.
The following will summarise our guest’s presentation along with a short introduction of who they are to allow anyone, who is interested to (re)read about our wonderful session.
Trans History in Medieval Icelandic Literature
Dr Basil Arnould Price
Dr. Basil Arnould Price (he/him) is currently a John W. Baldwin Postdoctoral Fellow at the CMRS-Centre for Early Global Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and an Associate Researcher at the University of York, where he completed his PhD in Medieval Studies in 2024.
Price’s interdisciplinary and intersectional research focuses on the cultural history of premodern Scandinavia, with a particular emphasis on late medieval Icelandic society and literature. His work explores the intersections of emotion, political expression, sexuality, and racialized or queer embodiment in the ‘decentered global North Atlantic.’ His research and teaching interests span Old English and Old Norse-Icelandic literature, Viking studies, colonialism and anti-/de-/post-colonialism, critical race and Indigenous studies, and trans* and queer theory.
What caught his initial interest about medieval Iceland was the thirteenth-century Old Norse-Icelandic Íslendingasaga, or family saga, called Laxdæla saga. Price remarks „Laxdæla saga struck me for its inclusion of a figure who felt to me, as a transgender reader, identifiably trans“ elaborating that „what arrested me as an undergraduate, transmasculine reader, were the glimmers of trans life that this text provides.“
For his short presentation, Price introduced us to the story of Auðr who might be read as trans or transmasculine. Auðr, married to Þórðr (who is having an affair with Guðrún), is described by Guðrún as wearing masculine clothing, including trousers with a setgeiri, a codpiece-like feature designed to accommodate male genitalia. This detail, paired with Guðrún’s nickname for Auðr, „Breeches-Auðr,“ underscores her masculine presentation. While other women in the sagas occasionally wear trousers without issue, Auðr’s attire crosses cultural and legal boundaries by implying a masculine embodiment. This depiction resonates with modern practices like „packing,“ where transmasculine individuals use prosthetics to present a masculine silhouette. Auðr might be interpreted as a stone butch, reflecting Jack Halberstam’s concept of „female masculinity,“ or as a transmasculine person, bridging medieval gender presentation with contemporary understandings of gender variance.
Notably, Price does not say that Auðr is really trans, as that would be impossible, given that Auðr is a literary character. However, he argues that the portrayal of this literary character suggests that in medieval times notions of sex and gender were not as straightforward, simple and unambiguous, in fact just as today, they were inherently and inevitably complex.
Reflecting on the challenges of sharing his research with the general public, Price notes that these ambiguities and complexities that he wishes to highlight and explore within his work are not easy to communicate to the public, whose expectations of medieval Scandinavian history often conflict with those relating to trans history. In popular perception, medieval Scandinavia is deeply intertwined with issues of gender, race, and politics. Institutionalised as Old North Studies in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, medieval Scandinavian history and culture continue to shape „masculinist, nationalist and racist fantasies of a lost white cis-heteropatriarchal past.“ Although less overtly, popular culture too perpetuates the idea that premodern Scandinavia was solely inhabited by white, cisgender individuals, with a particular emphasis on predominantly masculine white cisgender men. As such, any suggestion that medieval Scandinavia – especially the Vikings – was not white and cis is often dismissed with ridicule and a steadfast adherence to a simplistic view of gender. Price criticises that both as a result of North studies enduring cisheteronormativity and whiteness and popular culture representations of premodern Scandinavia, many people „are deeply resistant to more expansive understandings of the pluralities of gendered (and relatedly, racialized) embodiment in medieval Scandinavia.“
Sharing his experiences of presenting his research to LGBTQ+ communities in particular, Price remarks that these communication attempts have been predominantly positive and arguably more ‚fruitful‘. Still, it had also come with surprisingly similar challenges: a similar „desire for certainty and clarity about how a historical or literary figure identifies, with the aim of reclaiming them as part of our shared trans past.“
Price points out that Old Norse sources seldom portray gender variance in ways modern readers recognize as ‘trans’ and even often frame gender nonconformity and variance in ways that can be misused to undermine trans* identities. For instance, within the Laxdæla saga, we learn little about how Auðr understands her gender or identity and, after all, she is a literary creation, which makes it difficult to ‚reclaim‘ her as part of a shared trans past – especially in comparison to other medieval subject, such as Eleanor Rykener.
Still, he says „As a medievalist and a transsexual, I am sympathetic and susceptible to a ‚longing for community across time‘ and I recognize the value of reparative histories in a contemporary moment within which appeals to the ahistoricity of trans* embodiments are used to justify denying trans* rights.“
In light of the recent often negative political developments concerning trans* rights, Price states that one of the goals of his recent research is to offer the Old Norse archives as a historical corpus presenting ‘bad’ trans subjects, feelings, and representations, offering a distinct form of reassurance to the trans* community. Unlike the trans euphoria explored by Alicia Spencer-Hall and Blake Gutt, it creates a transtemporal emotional connection, enabling a collective embrace of feelings of discomfort across time.
Trans Public Histories
Dr Kit Heyam
Dr Kit Heyam (they/he) is a freelance writer, heritage practitioner, and trans awareness trainer dedicated to highlighting the diversity and complexity of queer experiences. Based in Leeds, Kit completed their PhD The Reputation of Edward II, 1305–1695: A Literary Transformation of History at the University of Leeds in 2017. Their work focuses on ensuring trans histories and identities are authentically represented in workplaces, heritage narratives, and classrooms.
In addition to their scholarly achievements, Heyam is a skilled trans awareness trainer, working to foster understanding and inclusion across various sectors. Their work reflects a passionate commitment to amplifying the richness of trans histories and integrating these narratives into contemporary discourse.
In their presentation, they illuminated different key issues relating to telling trans histories in public that they encountered within their own work.
As a coordinator of the charity York LGBT History Month, Heyam first experienced what challenges and opportunities come along with doing queer and trans public history. Talking about their PhD research on the medieval King Edward II, who became known during his lifetime for having both sexual and romantic relationships with his male favourites, Heyam noticed a tension between the expectations of academia and the public. As a historian, they were committed to nuance and the self-definition of the king: Edward II was not gay or bisexual – after all those words or concepts did not exist in the middle ages.
However, the public – especially older gay and bi men – wanted them to clearly identify Edward II for them, as Heyam poinently noted:
„they really wanted, needed to hear me say: ‚This man in the fourteenth century was like you. There have always been people like you.’“
Heyam saw themselves in a dilemma. Despite their urge as a historian to say that transferring modern concepts of identity led to ‚bad‘ history, they did not want to simply reject those wishes to identify with a historical figure and deny them a historical community – as a marginalised group especially older gay and bi men had already seen their present community be decimated by AIDS. Thus, instead of discouraging people from having feelings about the past, they asked „What can the feelings we have about the past do for us?“
The second project, Heyam got involved with as part of the York LGBT History Month was the committee that fought to install a permanent rainbow plague for Anne Lister, a well-known local late eighteenth-century landowner who had relationships with women and presented in a gender-nonconforming way – recording complex feelings about gender in their diaries. As part of the finale process of getting the plague approved for Anne, a conflict emerged: should Anne be referred to as a lesbian (a word which they did not use but that would honour Anne being openly attracted to women) or as gender-nonconforming (a term that would more describe how Anne lived but that did not address their sexuality)? This brought up new questions for Heyam: „What was the alternative to lesbians and trans people being positioned as fighting over Anne, and trying to ‘claim’ them for one side or the other? Couldn’t we take a step back and understand that emotional connection to history is not a zero-sum game?“
Eventually, Heyam published their book Before We Were Trans, in which they explored both these issues: how we can discuss history in ways that cares for people in the past and the present, and how to navigate histories that hold deep significance for multiple groups. The book proposes a new methodology of studying trans history rather than trans people in the past: a balancing act that allows people today to connect with the past without imposing modern or Western labels on individuals who did not choose them, and that allowed for historical events and subjects to be interpreted both as, for instance, trans history and lesbian history, thus avoiding any „border wars.“
Heyam makes the argument that we must rethink the idea of ‚reclaiming‘ historical subjects, for example, as trans – as if history were a scares resource that we need to fight and squabble over. Instead, they believe it us more powerful to think of history as something that has the potential to extend community and solidarity across multiple groups.
For the last third of their presentation, Heyam introduced us to the pamphlet Gendering the Museum: A Toolkit, which they had co-authored with James Daybell and which aimed to provide museums with a toolkit for ‚gendering the museum.‘ Focussing on thinking about material objects in museums as gendered, the pamphlet makes two main points:
- „Every object has gendered aspects because every object is embedded in a set of gendered power relations and implicated in forms of gendered identity construction.“
- „We can understand objects as gendered at every stage of their life cycle. So we’re not just talking about uncovering how an object might have been used in a gendered sense, but also who made it; what materials it was made from and how those were sourced; how elements of its design might be gendered; and what its aUerlife has been in terms of gendered interpretations.“
Reflecting on the importance of this toolkit for trans history, Heyam notes that it allows us to reframe how we think of trans history within heritage practice. Instead of having to expand collections to include trans history proactively, this new methodology shows us that trans history is always already present and both powerful and politically important.
Indigenous and Colonial North American Trans History
Jamey Jesperson
Jamey Jesperson, a Vanier Scholar and PhD candidate at the University of Victoria in History and Cultural, Social, and Political Thought, focuses on trans histories in Indigenous and colonial North America, particularly along the Pacific coast. Her dissertation, developed through a ‘storywork’ collaboration with Two-Spirit Knowledge Keeper Saylesh Wesley, reinterprets the history of ‘contact’ in the Pacific Northwest during the long nineteenth century from the perspective of trans Indigenous people.
Jesperson teaches the course „Intro to Trans Histories“ which covers trans history throughout the ages from antiquity to contemporary history. Fostering a uniquely supportive and enriching learning environment for exploring trans histories, Jesperson is deeply passionate about her students, many of whom are trans or nonbinary themselves. She cherishes the opportunity to teach in this special setting, where personal connections to the material make the subject matter even more impactful.
For the course’s final project, Jesperson worked with her students to create a trans histories museum. Their one-of-a-kind exhibition featured fictionalized, reimagined historical artefacts inspired by real trans histories, blending creativity with rigorous historical research. The project not only highlighted past trans lives but also offered an innovative way to engage with and honour the complexities of trans experiences across time.
| Ancient (6000 B.C.E. – 650 C.E.) | origins of humanity |
| Medieval (500-1400 C.E.) | early philosophy, medicine and theology |
| Colonialism (15th-19th century) | destruction of trans indigeneities |
| Slavery (16th-19th century) | de-gendering of captive flesh |
| „Female Husbands“ (1746-1910) | trans masculinities into Modernity |
| Transvestism (1860s-1920s) | the development of trans language |
| Transsexuality (1920s-1960s) | the development of trans medicine |
| TV/TS Subcultures (1960s-1980s) | the branching of trans cultures |
| Transgender (1990s) | the development of trans counter-culture |
| Two-Spirit (1990s-2000s) | the decolonisation of trans/ gender Syllabus Structure |
Those interested in exploring Jesperson’s experiences as a trans scholar should consult her article „Trans Histories by Trans Historians,“ published in the Graduate History Review in 2023. The article serves as an introduction to a groundbreaking special issue on trans history. The piece highlights trans history as an established and evolving field, shaped by a new generation of trans graduate students and early-career scholars. This special issue, entirely trans-edited, trans-designed, and trans-authored, showcases how trans historians are transforming the field with innovative perspectives and approaches.
Beyond her role as a scholar and teacher of trans history at the University of Victoria, Jesperson is deeply involved in trans rights activism. Her academic work frequently bridges past and present, drawing insightful connections between historical events and contemporary dynamics. For example, her article „Trans Misogyny in the Colonial Archive„ examines the lives of Indigenous trans women in the colonial records of New Spain. Tracing these histories through sodomy criminal trials in Mexico (1604–1771) and the Catholic missions of California (1769–1821), Jesperson illuminates the structures and resistance to colonial trans misogyny. By re-centring trans femininity as essential to both historical narratives and the systemic violence they faced, the article critiques the erasure of trans women in traditional historiography. Jesperson not only exposes the tragic histories of trans feminine death but also highlights enduring legacies of survival and resilience, offering a powerful framework for understanding the ongoing impact of trans misogyny today.
Jesperson’s current project, „ReStorying Trans Indigenous Contact,“ focuses on exploring the trans traditions of Indigenous nations on the Northwest Coast. This groundbreaking work involves mapping instances of trans-Indigenous individuals in the 19th century—67 and counting—and compiling Indigenous terms that describe trans and Two-Spirit people and their ways of life.
This project builds on her recent article, „Walking to Dream,“ an oral history biography of Saylesh Wesley, a Stó:lō Two-Spirit Knowledge Keeper and trans woman. In the article, Jesperson uses “storywork” methods to expand the written record of Saylesh’s life, chronicling her experiences from birth and early struggles to her transition, her life in 1990s Vancouver, her ceremonial reception of the title Sts’iyóye smestı́yexw slhá:li in 2012, and her renaming ceremony in 2016. The biography captures Saylesh’s ongoing journey, culminating in her emergence as a Two-Spirit Elder. This work not only honours Saylesh’s legacy but also exemplifies Jesperson’s dedication to preserving and amplifying trans-Indigenous histories.