Bramblethorn
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- Feb 16, 2012
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James Barry (1789-1865) was an eminent military surgeon in the British Army who led an adventurous life; he fought a duel, argued with Florence Nightingale, performed an early successful C-section, was tried for buggery (but acquitted), and rose to Inspector General.
He never let other soldiers see him naked, and requested that when he died, he should be buried in his bedsheets without medical examination. This wish wasn't honoured, and after his death it was discovered that he had female anatomy and had originally been "Margaret Bulkley" before changing identity around age 20.
With historical stories, it's often hard to tell the difference between a woman who poses as a man to access opportunities she wouldn't otherwise have had, and somebody who would today be seen as a transgender man. But Barry's case is about as clear-cut as it gets. He consistently represented himself as male throughout his adult life, even when on trial for buggery with another male officer, even after women doctors began to be accepted, even after he retired from service - he could certainly have become a celebrity if he'd revealed his origins at that point, but he chose not to, and his dying wishes made it clear that he wanted to be remembered as a man.
A new book "The Cape Doctor" has chosen to ignore that and treat him as a cross-dressing woman throughout. This has not gone down well: https://www.dailydot.com/irl/cape-doctor-book-james-barry-transgender/
He never let other soldiers see him naked, and requested that when he died, he should be buried in his bedsheets without medical examination. This wish wasn't honoured, and after his death it was discovered that he had female anatomy and had originally been "Margaret Bulkley" before changing identity around age 20.
With historical stories, it's often hard to tell the difference between a woman who poses as a man to access opportunities she wouldn't otherwise have had, and somebody who would today be seen as a transgender man. But Barry's case is about as clear-cut as it gets. He consistently represented himself as male throughout his adult life, even when on trial for buggery with another male officer, even after women doctors began to be accepted, even after he retired from service - he could certainly have become a celebrity if he'd revealed his origins at that point, but he chose not to, and his dying wishes made it clear that he wanted to be remembered as a man.
A new book "The Cape Doctor" has chosen to ignore that and treat him as a cross-dressing woman throughout. This has not gone down well: https://www.dailydot.com/irl/cape-doctor-book-james-barry-transgender/
