A graduate student at the University of Iowa claims 34 early Christian saints were transgender, arguing medieval examples prove Christianity once embraced “transness.” She highlights figures who lived across gender norms, asserting the church can recover a “transgender history” to support modern inclusion.
Sarah Barringer, writing in The Conversation, identifies saints such as Eugenia, Euphrosyne, and Marina (later Marinos) who reportedly lived as the opposite gender. She outlines cases where women dressed as men to join monasteries or evade marriage, then assumed male identities—interpreting these narratives as evidence of a historical transgender tradition. Barringer argues that although modern gender terminology was absent, the phenomenon was “unquestionably present” in medieval Christianity.
She claims medieval Christians viewed these “cross-gender” saints as holy rather than heretical. In her view, their unconventional lives demonstrated divine purpose and spiritual strength, not merely social rebellion. This reimagining supports her argument that Christianity can embrace contemporary gender diversity based on historical precedent.
Conservative scholars reject this framing. They argue gender disguise in these stories was a tool for spiritual discipline or protection, not an expression of identity. Applying modern gender ideology to ascetic practices distorts both history and theology, undermining the spiritual legacy of these saints.
Church tradition honors these individuals for their faith and sacrifice—not as symbols of gender ideology. Recasting their lives through a contemporary lens risks misleading Christians and rewriting sacred history for political ends.
