#eunuch

My zine in the lineage of Fucking Trans Women by Mira Bellwether, about my anatomy as a trans woman who's had nullification surgery. It started as a user manual for a partner but I believe it has value beyond that.

‘abbāsid eunuch playing with birds 🕊️🌿🌼

original from al-jāḥiẓ’s kitāb al-ḥayawān under the cut

King Alexander the Great and his lover and advisor Bagoas, who was not only the most beautiful and charming person of this time, but he was also a powerful courtier who had his own spies (Quintus Curtius Rufus describes the case of the execution of Orxines), he was engaged in judicial affairs and intelligence. These duties were common to palace eunuchs in almost all ancient cultures. It is a mistake to consider eunuchs simply servants in harems (in fact, a not big part served in harems) or weak-willed lovers of powerful men. Eunuchs were themselves powerful courtiers, they were engaged in administrative and military affairs, often, took power into their own hands and became "shadow rulers". Curtius, through the mouth of Orxines, calls Bagoas "the ruler of Asia", emphasizing his high role during the reign of Alexander.

Please note, the painting is not a historical reconstruction, but an imaginary vision of the artist; no one knows what it actually looked like or whether it happened at all or not.

When I was drawing I thought about my fantasy AU story more.

Eunuch: a traditional social category for people who have eunichoid sex traits or who are socially categorized as though they do. The term has traditionally included three major groups: - castrati: forcibly castrated men, often slaves - congenital eunuchs: intersex people with eunichoid traits, often congenital forms of hypogonadism - voluntary eunuchs: people we'd now generally understand as trans (edit to add: @beyond-mogai-pride-flags pointed out in the comments that some also did it for religious reasons! ty!)

Eunuch is a socially constructed category and in different times and places it has also included asexuals, men who spontaneously develop eunichoid traits due to disease/injury, and men who are unable to procreate for whatever reason.

Bright version on right, sensory friendlier version on left. Stripe meanings: - Dark teal: for having traditional connections to both masculinity (blue) and neutrality (green) - Intersex yellow: for intersex people who use or have been described as eunuch/eunichoid, both historically and presently - Orange: for men who are castrated or develop eunichoid traits iatrogenically (i.e. due to treatment for disease/injury, e.g. testicular cancer). On the rainbow LGBTQ+ flag, orange means healing. - Dark red: for forcibly castrated men. Dark red for blood/violence. - Magenta: for trans people who have used the term both historically and presently - Grey: for other groups sometimes included under eunuch who feel a connection to the term

The anonymous individual who requested the flag told me they wanted a eunuch pride flag that was explicitly intersex inclusive, as the already existing one is castration-oriented. Sorry it took me several months to get back to you! 😅

This flag is public domain.

Eunuch and Bestie are my MVP's... However Papa Eunuch has my heart. This man has been by King Heon's side since birth... you can tell when he held him back as a kid. Papa Eunuch rules in silent mode. While bestie is more vocal about his desired direction.

Papa Eunuch knew how to make Mokju look like a fool the first Chef taste testing. He could have let her barge in but wanted her to know her 4th rank status has fallen. The burn would hurt more if it came from the King. Papa Eunuch knew the drunken King didn't need a Chef to make a late night snack his tummy is coated with Doenjang Pasta. Papa Eunuch knew The King needed to be comforted and the Gwinyeo was the perfect person for his release. The man is a genius. He can stand in that room the next day with his head down and act like he had no part in that kiss... the man is a shipper with pom poms... He knows how to play the Palace game.