By Sue Passacantilli, August 2, 2025
Gender diversity is as old as humanity itself, woven into the fabric of cultures, religions, and eras long before modern debates framed it as a new or threatening concept. Yet, the intertwined forces of colonialism, certain interpretations of Christianity, and rigid social structures have worked to erase or punish those who defy binary norms. This essay restores what has been forgotten: the rich history of gender diversity, the powerful forces that attempted to erase it, and the urgent need for compassion and inclusion today.
Gender non-conformity is not a lifestyle experiment or a fleeting cultural trend; it’s a fundamental and authentic expression of human identity. It isn’t a choice made on a whim or a rebellious phase to be outgrown, but rather a deep, internal truth that often emerges early in life. Decades of research in neuroscience, endocrinology, and psychology reveal that gender identity is shaped by a complex interplay of genetic influences, hormonal exposures during prenatal development, and brain structure. These forces operate beneath conscious awareness, forming the foundation of a person’s sense of self. To reduce gender non-conformity to a “choice” is to ignore both science and the lived experiences of millions. It is not a deviation from nature; it is a variation within it.
People living beyond traditional gender norms have always been part of our world. They prayed in ancient temples, tended fires in Indigenous villages, danced on European stages, and lived quiet lives in small homes where language could not even name who they were. They loved, grieved, and dreamed like anyone else. But they were often misunderstood, feared, or erased. History remembers kings and conquerors, wars and revolutions, and empires that rose and fell. Yet, woven silently between these grand narratives are countless untold stories—stories of people who dared to live outside society’s rigid lines. As author Leslie Feinberg once wrote, “My right to be me is tied with a thousand threads to your right to be you.” The struggle of gender-nonconforming people is a reflection of humanity’s larger fight for freedom—to live authentically, without shame or fear.
A Timeless Tapestry: Gender Diversity Across Cultures
Gender variance is not a modern phenomenon—it’s woven into the fabric of ancient societies across continents. In Mesopotamia, as early as 2100 BCE, gala priests—assigned male at birth—served in feminine roles and were respected for their ability to communicate with the goddess Inanna. Myths told of Inanna herself possessing the divine power to “change a man into a woman and a woman into a man,” reflecting an understanding of gender as mutable and sacred.
This fluidity wasn’t confined to the Near East. In Ancient Greece, myths celebrated fluid identities, like the story of Hermaphroditus, who merged male and female traits into a single divine being. Roman history offers one of the earliest known examples of a gender-variant ruler: Emperor Elagabalus, who ruled Rome from 218–222 CE. At just fourteen, Elagabalus openly defied gender norms, preferring feminine pronouns and even declaring, “Call me not Lord, for I am a Lady.” Though hostile historians often portrayed Elagabalus as scandalous, their life reflects a complex truth: gender non-conformity has existed even at the pinnacle of imperial power.
Outside Europe, gender diversity flourished openly. Many Native nations in North America recognized Two-Spirit people, individuals embodying both masculine and feminine spirits. One notable figure, Ozaawindib (c. 1797–1832) of the Ojibwe nation, lived as a woman, had multiple husbands, and was respected for her courage and spiritual insight. Another early 19th-century leader, Kaúxuma Núpika, a Ktunaxa prophet, lived as a man, took wives, and was revered as a shaman and visionary. These individuals exemplify a long-standing understanding of gender beyond binaries, deeply embedded in Indigenous spiritual and communal life.
In the Pacific Islands, Hawaiian māhū served as teachers and cultural keepers, blending masculine and feminine traits in roles considered vital to their communities. In Samoa, fa’afafine were recognized as a natural and valued part of society. In South Asia, Hijra communities held respected ceremonial roles for centuries, appearing in royal courts and religious rituals as bearers of blessings and fertility. Their existence is recorded as early as the 4th century BCE, long before European colonizers imposed rigid gender codes. Across continents and millennia, gender non-conforming people were present, visible, and often honored—until intolerance began rewriting their stories.
Colonialism, Christianity, and the Rise of Gender Binaries
If gender diversity has always existed, why do so many modern societies insist on strict binaries? The answer lies in the intertwined forces of colonialism and Christianity, which imposed narrow gender definitions as moral and divine law across much of the globe.
In Europe, Christian theology framed gender as fixed and divinely ordained, rooted in literal interpretations of Genesis: “Male and female He created them.” These words were weaponized to declare that only two genders existed and that deviation from this binary was rebellion against God. Early Church councils codified these interpretations into laws punishing gender variance and same-sex love. Gender roles became part of a “natural order,” leaving no space for complexity or authenticity.
As European empires expanded, missionaries carried these doctrines into colonized lands, enforcing binary gender roles where none had existed before. Two-Spirit traditions in North America were condemned as sinful. Indigenous children were taken to Christian boarding schools, stripped of language, culture, and identity. Hijra communities in India, once celebrated, were criminalized under British colonial law in 1871 through the Criminal Tribes Act, influenced by Victorian biblical morality. The spiritual and social roles of gender-diverse people across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific were dismantled under colonial pressure to conform to European Christian norms.
The fusion of scripture and empire transformed biblical interpretation into a weapon of social control. Gender diversity, once sacred, was reframed as sin, deviance, or criminality. This legacy lingers in laws and religious teachings today, where intolerance is still cloaked in divine sanction.
Yet, Christianity is not monolithic. Today, denominations like the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, and numerous Methodist and Lutheran congregations advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Many re-read scripture as a call to radical love and justice, rejecting its weaponization as a tool of oppression. These voices remind us that faith and gender diversity need not be in conflict—and that spiritual conviction can drive inclusion rather than exclusion.
Modern History and Resistance
Despite centuries of oppression, gender-nonconforming people have persisted, resisting systems that sought to erase them. In 1952, Christine Jorgensen, a U.S. Army veteran, became one of the first transgender women to gain international visibility after undergoing gender-affirming surgery. Her decision to live openly challenged mid-20th-century gender norms and sparked a global conversation about identity.
The 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, led in part by trans women of color like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, marked a turning point in LGBTQ+ activism. Their courage set the stage for decades of organizing and advocacy aimed at dismantling legal and social barriers to equality.
Recent decades have brought new waves of activism—and backlash. By 2025, more than 25 U.S. states had passed laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Civil rights groups have filed dozens of lawsuits challenging these bans as unconstitutional. At the federal level, Executive Order 14168 (January 2025) redefined gender as strictly binary and rolled back non-binary passport options. While several parts of the order have been temporarily blocked by courts, its chilling effect on rights is undeniable.
At the same time, grassroots activism is creating change. In Colorado, the Kelly Loving Act—named after a transgender woman murdered in 2022—was enacted in May 2025, strengthening anti-discrimination protections. In Iowa, the repeal of gender identity protections sparked immediate lawsuits, including Finnegan Meadows v. Iowa City Community School District, challenging restroom restrictions for transgender students.
Globally, progress and setbacks coexist. In Hong Kong, activist Henry Edward Tse won a landmark case in 2023 striking down a law requiring surgery for transgender men to update their legal gender. In Scotland, the 2025 case For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers restricted the recognition of trans women under the Equality Act, prompting mass protests. In the U.S., upcoming Supreme Court hearings will determine whether states can ban transgender girls from school sports—a decision likely to affect millions of students. Even within sport, battles continue: in 2025, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee banned trans women from women’s competitions, sparking anticipated First Amendment and discrimination lawsuits.
As Laverne Cox says, “It is revolutionary for any trans person to choose to be seen and visible in a world that tells us we should not exist.” Every act of resistance—from legal battles to quiet moments of authenticity—is part of a centuries-long movement to reclaim humanity from the forces of erasure.
The Cost of Intolerance
The erasure of gender diversity has never been passive—it has inflicted profound harm on individuals and societies alike. Intolerance manifests in violence, systemic oppression, and emotional trauma that ripple far beyond personal suffering, representing a failure of humanity to honor its own diversity.
Globally, around 1% of adults identify as gender-diverse, rising to nearly 4% among Gen Z. In the United States, an estimated 1.6 million people aged 13 and older identify as transgender. These millions of people live in a world that too often treats their existence as debate material rather than human reality.
For many, safety is never guaranteed. Trans women of color face disproportionate rates of harassment, assault, and murder. Laws rooted in biblical interpretations still deny rights to gender-diverse people—from bathroom access to legal recognition—perpetuating danger and marginalization. The psychological toll is staggering: surveys consistently show higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts among gender-diverse populations, not because of their identities, but because living authentically often means surviving relentless hostility.
Even those who avoid overt violence face systemic barriers. Healthcare access is limited, IDs often cannot be changed legally, and discrimination in housing, employment, and education persists worldwide. Societies lose creativity, wisdom, and potential when people are forced to hide who they are, weakening humanity’s collective strength.
Addressing Counterarguments
Debates about gender identity often center on two concerns: whether children are making irreversible decisions too young and whether allowing trans women into women’s spaces threatens safety.
Medical interventions for transgender youth are approached with extreme caution. Most early treatments, like puberty blockers, are reversible, providing time for exploration under professional guidance. Surgeries for minors are exceedingly rare and only proceed under strict medical review. Leading medical organizations worldwide, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization, support gender-affirming care as life-saving, reducing depression and suicide risks significantly.
Regarding safety in women’s spaces, decades of data from places with trans-inclusive policies show no increase in harm to cisgender women. Criminal behavior remains illegal regardless of gender identity. In fact, transgender people are often at greater risk of violence in public facilities. Exclusionary laws protect no one—they only add to the vulnerability of marginalized communities. Compassionate inclusion doesn’t ignore these concerns; it addresses them with facts, empathy, and policies that protect everyone’s dignity.
A Call for Compassion and Inclusion
The history of gender diversity tells us one thing clearly: gender-nonconforming people are not a problem to be solved. They are part of the rich tapestry of humanity, present in every culture and every era. What needs to change is not them—it’s the systems, ideologies, and choices that make their lives unsafe and invisible.
Compassion must move beyond sentiment into action. It means listening and believing people when they tell you who they are. It means refusing to stay silent when dignity is stripped away and challenging discriminatory laws and rhetoric wherever they arise. It’s showing up to school board meetings, voting for leaders who protect rights, and holding institutions accountable when they harm rather than heal.
Governments can enact and enforce robust non-discrimination laws. Schools can teach accurate history, replacing ignorance with understanding. Faith communities can choose inclusion, living out teachings of love and justice instead of exclusion. Businesses can create workplaces where gender-diverse employees are safe and supported. Inclusion is not charity—it is justice. Freedom loses meaning when it applies to some and not others. A society that polices authenticity cannot claim to value liberty.
Conclusion: Returning to Humanity
Gender diversity is not new, unnatural, or dangerous. What is dangerous is ignorance—the deliberate forgetting of history, the weaponization of scripture to control bodies and identities, and the refusal to see humanity in those who live differently. For thousands of years, gender-nonconforming people like Elagabalus, Ozaawindib, Kaúxuma Núpika, Christine Jorgensen, Marsha P. Johnson, Henry Edward Tse, and countless others have persisted, offering new ways of loving, knowing, and being. Their resilience reveals what freedom truly means.
Maya Angelou once wrote, “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” This truth cuts through centuries of prejudice and fear. At our core, we all want the same things: to live authentically, to love and be loved, to belong. This is not a radical demand but a fundamental human need. The fight for gender diversity is a fight for a more just and humane world for all. It is a call to build a society where every person can exist without fear, where authenticity is celebrated as a strength rather than condemned as a flaw. It’s time to move beyond the binaries of the past and return to the shared humanity that connects us all.
*This essay was written by Sue Passacantilli and edited by Intellicurean utilizing AI.
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