Joan of Arc: a Saint for Trans and Gender Fluid Christians

Church for LGBT - Open Table MCC - Philippines

Are there “trans” or cross gendering saints and holy people in the history of the church?

The Answer: Both Yes and No.

Are there persons we can consider as saints or holy people FOR the transgender, fluid, and non-conforming Christians?

The absolute and strictly male and female binary is mostly Western Christian Gender Construct and was imposed upon other cultures and societies during the age of European Colonization. Although Binary and Heteronormative counterparts are also found in East Asian Imperial Societies rooted, ordered, or influenced by Confusian Philosophy.

There are other societies, cultures, and religions who have recognized gender identities, manifestations, and expressions other than male and female. These societies have gender constructs that are fluid or a combination of male & female, or something entire outside the binary, or in other caes positively allows cross gendering practices to the extent of attributing spiritual authority and power to such individuals or groups.

But even within strictly Christian binary societies, gender crossing individuals have always existed even if it is in hiding or bravely in public even to the point of martyrdom.

Euphrosyne / Smaragdus (Emerald) of Alexandria is a 5th-century saint who left life as a woman to become a monk in an Egyptian monastery. Sept. 27 is this queer saint’s feast day in the Episcopal church. In an apparent acknowledgement of same-sex desire in monasteries, the abbot orders young Smaragdus to live in a separate cell to avoid arousing the other monks. (Kittredge Cherry)

Rev. Kittredge listed down women who crossed dressed and/or cross gendered to become priests and monks to avoid marriage or other strict expectations for women. There could be more that were never discovered or recorded. The question also, why the need to crossdress and take on male identities when they can enter the monastery as a monastic nun to avoid marriage and get education like Hildegard of Bingen and other notable women saints. There’s probably more to it (for some of them) than just escaping marriage. (www.qspirit.net)

Men who crossdress as women (on occasions) are mostly from the monarchy and elite class. They have the resources and the palaces that afforded them some degree of privacy and also protection. Their power and privilege offered some shield from outright prosecution by church and civil authority.

For historical and contextual integrity, we cannot exactly apply current and western understanding of SOGIESC including the current understandings and experiences under the term transgender towards pre-modern individuals and their own experiences, struggles, and identities. We can only try to loosely resonate with whatever recorded gender non-conforming experiences and practices from medieval Europe and other times in ancient history.

In the same way we say that Jesus is embodied and representative of the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed; that Jesus is in the face of every exploited peasant laborer, abused woman, person living with HIV, so too can we look to gender crossing saints of the past as embodying and representative of us today. Not that we are saying that historically and absolutely they are trans, gay or lesbian as we understand today, but the lives and struggles they have lived and the bravery they have exemplified in crossing gendering with great risks to them is something that can inspire and inform us as queer and trans people of today.

Sainte Jeanne D’Arc

• From the village of Domrémy Believed her mission was to expel the English invaders of France under the Valois Kingdom.
• She felt herself to be guided by the voices of Archangel Michael, Catherine of Alexandria, and Margaret of Antioch.
• A devout and pious maiden who frequented the Mass and confessions.
• She attempted to see the Dauphine, the future Charles VII of France, the one she believed to be the rightful king of France. But failed several times.
• Finally, when an opportunity came where she was allowed into the palace, she was tested by the Dauphine by hiding and disguising himself but Joan detected him nonetheless to which by this the Dauphine considered her mission and visions but to be sure was further subjected to the interrogation of theologians.
• After theological inquiries, she was given an army and military aid by the Dauphine.
• Won several battles in Orléans against the occupying English which paved the way for the coronation of the Dauphine as King of France.
• After the coronation of Charles VII, she wanted to push the military campaign further into Paris.
• In an attempt to push a campaign to take Paris she was captured and was put to trial by church authorities together with some of the faculty members of the University of Paris for heresy including the wearing of men’s military clothing.
• After a long trial where she held firmly that her visions and voices of the angels and saints were genuine, she eventually signed a document of abjuration or declaring that her visions and voices, and the mission she believed proceeded from them were not true and that she also admitted that wearing soldier’s clothing which were for men was a grave error to which she repents. However, some question whether she fully understood the abjuration document she signed.
• But not long after, she was found in prison still wearing the same male military clothing to which she said that it was of her own choosing to continue wearing those clothes.
• She then told her accusers that the voices of St. Catherine and Margaret told her that her Abjuration was “treason” against the Divine. By saying this her abjuration was then voided and she was considered as a lapsed heretic and there’s no other way for her other than to be executed by civil authorities.
• Mary 30, 1431, Joan of Arc was burned on a stake as a heretic. However, before her execution, she was allowed to have confession and to receive communion. She maintained even throughout her burning that the saints and archangel Michael indeed spoke to her, which of course includes the command to wear men’s military clothing. According to some witness accounts her last words were, “Jesu, Jesu.”
• 20 years after Charles VII sought out an investigation. After further investigation and upon the the order of Pope Calixtus III Following a petition from the d’Arc family, proceedings were instituted in 1455–56 that revoked and annulled the sentence of 1431.
• On May 16, 1920, Pope Benedict XV canonized Joan of Arc as a saint of the “universal Church”.

(Source: www.britannica.com)

Joan called herself ‘the maiden’, but that isn’t necessarily because she wanted to emphasise her femininity – she believed her virginity was crucial to her religious calling. She wore men’s clothing, but that doesn’t mean she thought of herself as male – masculine clothing may have been a way to express her role as a military leader or her sexual unavailability.

In taking such inspiration from medieval figures, we need to be aware we are placing our modern experiences and values on someone who didn’t share them. Whether we conceive of Joan as a woman, non-binary, or even transmasculine (and I think all three are valid historical readings), we must remember that we cannot define her, we can only ever interpret her.

That doesn’t mean we can’t relate to Joan’s experiences of gender – just that there is a whole spectrum of ways to relate. Women have a right to be inspired by Joan as a strong woman acting in defiance of a patriarchal society, but those of us who are queer or non-binary should also be able to see ourselves reflected in her transgression of gender roles and refusal to conform.

(Source: www.thepinknews.com)

What lessons and inspiration we can take from her and other cross gendering saints?

Courage & Conviction – To fulfill her mission of national liberation and to insist her crossdressing as divinely commanded even to the point of martyrdom. Fight for liberation from foreign occupiers and oppressors and to stand firm against religious authorities.

In retelling of the complicated story of Joan of Arc and other non-conforming saints the Good News has been spoken. May our faith be enlightened. Thanks be to God. Amen.

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