c o v e r s t o r y
Transgendered Butches and FTM's: a uniquely Femme Perspective
by Sonya Bolus

f e a t u r e s
Transgendered Lesbian
by Arlene Istar Lev
Passing as the Pope - the Story of Joan English
by Alison Phipps

c o l u m n s
Health
by Dr. Lipstick
Wealth
by Ms. Moneygrrl
Sex
by SexySuzi
Advice
by Victoria
Femme Perspective
by DeAnna
Butch Perspective
by E.T. Turner

Publisher's Note
Contribute to Femme

Passing women, who adopted male attire and effectively "passed" as members of the opposite sex for a substantial period of their lives, have been fascinating players on the cultural stage throughout history. There have been numerous examples of these characters in both ancient and recent times. For some it was an expression of their sexuality and gender identity in a society whose vocabulary was unable to comprehend it - others donned male clothing in order to claim opportunities that would otherwise have been denied them. The history of passing women includes such characters as Murray Hall, an American woman who passed as a man for 25 years, became an influential politician in the 1880's and 1890's, and married other women twice: and the notorious "Babe Bean"/Jack Garland, whose identity was not discovered until after her death in 1936.

"The sixty six year old "Uncle Jack, alias Babe Bean, had once been Elvira Virginia Mugarrieta, the daughter of Jose Marcos Mugarrieta, who had founded the Mexican Consulate in San Francisco." (San Francisco Lesbian and Gay History Project, She Even Chewed Tobacco: A Pictorial Narrative of Passing Women in America)

The earliest and perhaps the most dramatic example of the "passing woman" is Joan English, who pontificated as Pope John VIII from 856-858 AD, managing to occupy the most influential position in the Mediaeval world.

Until the 15th century, commentators readily accepted that Pope John VIII, who occupied office in the mid 9th century, was actually a woman in disguise. After this time she was generally dismissed as a fictitious character. I am not, in such a short article, going to attempt to prove her existence. However, when considering the historical reports it is worth remembering that in a patriarchal system, a female Pope is the ultimate violation of social norms. Perhaps the motives for contradicting the evidence of her life ought to be examined before her existence is denied.

There is no doubt that documentation pertaining to Pope Joan and her life is scarce, due to a number of factors. When her identity as a woman was discovered, her name was excluded from the catalogue of popes in the same way as those of others who were considered heretical or illegitimately elected. The next Pope who wished to take the name of John was therefore obliged to repeat the number VIII from Joan's title, instead of moving on to IX. As a result there is a great deal of confusion regarding the dates of Joan's pontificate. These complexities are exacerbated by the fact that during the Counter-Reformation, the Catholic revival of the 16th and 17th centuries, attempts were made to relegate Pope Joan to the domain of fiction in order to avoid embarrassment. Her history has been distorted as a side effect of these religious machinations, due to the destruction of numerous Vatican manuscripts.

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