Emperor Elagabalus

In 2023, Emperor Elagabalus, an infamous prankster and Rome’s ruler from the tender age of 14 to 18, was recognized by a British museum as possibly a trans woman due to his unconventional behavior and preferences noted in historical texts.

The North Hertfordshire Museum reclassified Elagabalus as transgender based on textual references to wanting to be called a ‘lady’ or ‘wife.’ Alongside wearing wigs and makeup, it’s debated whether his posthumous scandalous image was a smear campaign by his successor.