Trans Virgin Marys and other such heresies

[Shana A]

Trans Virgin Marys and other such heresies

Written by queenemily
October 18, 2009 at 12:01 am

http://questioningtransphobia.wordpress.com/2009/10/18/trans-virgin-mars-and-other-such-heresies/

A new calendar released in Spain recently by a LGBT organisation has attracted a bit of controversy.  Why?  Because the calendar features trans women models, posed as the Virgin Mary.  Click here for the full set, which are quite beautiful (warning, some NSFW).

The shock of these images is, I think, that transsexual bodies are associated implicitly with the profane.  Christian theology is, as queer liberation theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid puts it, a "vanilla theology," an imaginative specatacular economy that depicts already-privileged bodies as holy (the historically inaccurate depiction of Jesus as a white man), and excludes those of marginalised groups.   She says that "belief systems are organised around people's bodies, and people's bodies in relationships, and in sexual relationships" (2003: 43).

[Janet_Girl]

Ok so a few of them raise an eyebrow, but so what?  If the artist had used GGs would there be such furious over this calender.  NO.  It is because the artist used TG women.  Heaven forbid!!!


Janet

[transheretic]

The Spanish have a greater awareness of the history of the Church and it's relationship to Cybele and Her priestesses, many of whom were gallae or transsexual women.  Commenters at Questioning lack this piece of the puzzle so would be unaware of the further thumbing of the nose at the Catholic Church this calender represents.  The only intact ancient statues of Cybele on public display I am aware of are in the square in Madrid and in the garden of Casio Pio IV in the heart of the Vatican which is the restored (by Pius IV) Phrygianum (convent home) of the Roman Cybelines.

That said, having viewed all the pics I, personally, found nothing controversial at all about the images themselves, all done very well and requiring a knowledge that the models have trans histories in order to make a controversy.  In the ancient world, sacred sex with a transsexual priestess was considered a degree more sacred because of her nature.  These images are powerful statements with multiple subtexts as well as beautiful.