Intersex History
Thomasina Hall
Born in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, in 1603, assigned female at birth and raised as a girl, Thomasina Hall began living and dressing as a man in their teens and early 20s. Thomasina served in the military in both England and France, before returning to England and donning feminine attire, supporting themselves with needlework.
In 1627, Hall moved to the Jamestown, Virginia as an indentured servant. By 1629, Hall had fallen afoul of the law for being observed to dress upon occasion as a female. Following an inspection, Hall was determined to be both male and female, sentenced to dress themselves forevermore as a man but with the addition of a woman’s bonnet and apron. It would be hard to imagine that this sentencing was for Hall’s benefit, but rather to discourage the possibility of homosexuality (Reis, 2009).
Herculine Barbin
Herculine Barbin was born on November 8th in Saint-Jean-d’Angély, France, in 1838. Like Thomasina Hall, Barbin was assigned female at birth and raised in a convent. In 1857, Barbin secured a teaching position at an all-girls school where she fell in love with another teacher. Her affair was noticed and Barbin was subjected to a medical inspection where she was declared to be intersex.
Barbin was legally reclassified as male and forced to leave her old life as a woman and begin a new one as a man. 8 years later Barbin’s memoirs were discovered after she had committed suicide (Foucault, 1980; Dreger, 1998).
The intersex community celebrates Intersex Day of Remembrance every year on her birthday.
Thomasina Hall
Born in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, in 1603, assigned female at birth and raised as a girl, Thomasina Hall began living and dressing as a man in their teens and early 20s. Thomasina served in the military in both England and France, before returning to England and donning feminine attire, supporting themselves with needlework.
In 1627, Hall moved to the Jamestown, Virginia as an indentured servant. By 1929, Hall had fallen afoul of the law for being observed to dress upon occasion as a female. Following an inspection, Hall was determined to be both male and female, sentenced to dress themselves forevermore as a man but with the addition of a woman’s bonnet and apron. It would be hard to imagine that this sentencing was for Hall’s benefit, but rather to discourage the possibility of homosexuality (Reis, 2009).
Herculine Barbin
Herculine Barbin was born on November 8th in Saint-Jean-d’Angély, France, in 1838. Like Thomasina Hall, Barbin was assigned female at birth and raised in a convent. In 1857, Barbin secured a teaching position at an all-girls school where she fell in love with another teacher. Her affair was noticed and Barbin was subjected to a medical inspection where she was declared to be intersex.
Barbin was legally reclassified as male and forced to leave her old life as a woman and begin a new one as a man. 8 years later Barbin’s memoirs were discovered after she had committed suicide (Foucault, 1980; Dreger, 1998).
The intersex community celebrates Intersex Day of Remembrance every year on her birthday.