You may have seen this announcement about books by women and AFAB folks who wrote under masculine pen names being republished with the authors& #39; legal names. Much has already been said but I& #39;ll add something for my museum friends here. https://twitter.com/WomensPrize/status/1293477837702336512">https://twitter.com/WomensPri...

It may feel feminist to "reclaim" historical figures under their legal, women& #39;s names. They might have been women undercover: banned from enlistment, shut out of publishing, blocked from med school.

HOWEVER they might not have been women at all. They might have been queer/trans.

Sometimes butch dykes, genderqueer afabs, and trans men are born with names that don& #39;t fit their gender. Publishing under another name may have been an act of self-expression for these authors instead of an act of self-suppression.

When these authors chose their pen names they had women contemporaries who published books, enlisted in the military, and practiced medicine under their legal names. It& #39;s lazy to assume all AFAB authors who used pen names were forced to in order to follow their publishing dreams.

When we interpret the story of a person assigned female at birth who had a male persona, we have to acknowledge there might be something queer there.

People always ask for "evidence" for queer history. Well here& #39;s some evidence! This is a sign to look closer.