Episode One: In Search of the First Ever Trans Person

Adventures in Time and Gender

http://adventuresintimeandgender.org/

A young genderfluid person called The Narrator and a talking, time travelling suitcase go off on an adventure to explore the history of science and gender in the West, specifically the ideas formulated by the sexologists of the late 19th century that still affect trans people living today. They begin their quest by looking for the first ever trans person in order to prove that trans people have always existed but a warrior woman from prehistoric times suggests they ask instead why they need to prove that trans people have always existed.

Next they meet some stars of Ancient Greek mythology, Iphis and his Mum, in Ikea and find that stories often become more complicated as they are told and retold over time. Then they travel to 1785 and meet the Chevalier D’Eon. They find that although people from the past have lived lives that we might call trans, they don’t use the same terminology as we do today. Likewise when Bryher tells them about their life, they are happy to be called a boy but not trans. The Suitcase and the Narrator decide to look at the origins of the labels and words we use.