Trans Profiles
This section is dedicated to documenting the many trans men/mascs throughout history. Everyone is sorted by the date they were born (i.e. Elliot Page, born in 1987, is in Modern, not Contemporary). Dates on this page are approximations.
Important note: "Transgender/Transsexual" is a remarkably new term. Most of these people before the 20th century likely wouldn't have referred to themselves as Trans. In this archive, many times "trans" is used as a verb; idea courtesy of historian Jen Manion in their book Female Husbands. Regardless of whether or not these individuals identified as male or trans*, all of them are trans-ing gender to a masculine state.
Antiquity, part of the pre-modern world, encompasses the stretch of history typically up until the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century CE (Common Era). Includes Biblical and mythological history.
Not quite all fantasy and valiant knights, what is commonly referred to as the Middle Ages (at least in Europe) overlooks notable events such as the Black Death, the Islamic Golden Age, and inventions such as the printing press.
Following the Middle Ages, the Early Modern period saw the beginning of the Renaissance, Industrial Revolution, Enlightenment, and other notable events such as the Protestant Reformation and rise of global colonialism.
The reign of Queen Victoria in England, though this time period also saw the rise of the 'Wild West', harsher moral standards; as well as popular art forms, such as the Gothic movement and the birth of science fiction.
The modern era saw two World Wars, unprecedented speeds toward technological improvement, and the rise of several civil rights movements. Also, art radically changed, as artists challenged the notion that art must be made realistically.
Technically a subset of modern history. This period of history covers the history after World War II, including the Cold War, space race, civil rights movement, and more leading all the way up to the present day.
Bibliography
Aldiss, Brian Wilson, and David Wingrove. Billion Year Spree: The True History of Science Fiction. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1973.
“Late Antiquity: A Resource Guide, Introduction.” Library of Congress. Accessed March 9, 2025. https://guides.loc.gov/late-antiquity.
Manion, Jen. Female Husbands, 2020. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/female-husbands/4BC8AE77B6EAF6055BD1DA64035509B3
Miglio, Massimo, and Angelo Mazzocco. “Curial Humanism Seen through the Prism of the Papal Library.” Essay. In Interpretations of Renaissance Humanism 143, 143:97–112. Boston, Massachusetts , 2006.
The Museum of Modern Art, ed. “What Is Modern Art? | MoMA.” The Museum of Modern Art, 2025. https://www.moma.org/collection/terms/modern-art/what-is-modern-art.
Robinson, Bruce. “An Overview of the Reformation.” BBC, February 17, 2011. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/reformation_overview_01.shtml.
Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E. What is Early Modern History? Cambridge, UK: John Wiley & Sons, 2021.
