Hatshepsut: A Glimpse into LGBTQ* History

The history of LGBTQ* is not a brand new topic in the history. Actually, there are many of LGBTQ* histories are recorded all way the beginning of the creation of humans, which the today’s special History Channel documentary focusing on LBGTQ* topics. I will be speaking about Hatshepsut, who is one of the well-known Pharaoh of Egypt who was portrayed in the pictures as a male.

Hatshepsut was a Queen in Egypt, born in about 1507 BC. She is eldest and only surviving daughter of King Thutmose I and his chief (main) wife, Ahmose. Among to the customs, she married to her half-brother which they had a daughter together. Her husband eventually died at young age, leaving an heir, his son with his minor wife, Thutmose III. Thutmose was too young to

As soon she appointed herself as Pharaoh, declared that the god allowed her to be a Pharaoh and dressed like a man. She is now taken seriously as a ruler. Because she was born in royal family that they believed that throne can be only inherited by marrying a daughter of the Pharaoh. By marrying her half brother, she has a huge advantage to gain the power as a queen. She also was fortunate enough to have her husband died young enough for her stepson to be too young to rule the kingdom on his own that customs allowed her to reign the kingdom as Queen Regent. Since the ancient Egyptian royalty only restrict to the family, there was no mention of her struggle connected to her race, nationality or citizenship. Despite the fact that Hatshepsut is a product of incest, there was no record found that mention she has a

Those who see my monuments in years to come, and who shall speak of what I have done.” (Stone, 2015)

Fortunately for Hatshepsut, not everything was destroyed by her stepson’s orders. Her name was mentioned in forgotten walls of Deir el-Bahri, which British archeologists discovered it in 1822 which the wall contains the pictures of her as a male but later they noticed that it’s indeed a female ruler, that it surprised them.

It is believed that Hatshepsut may be gender nonconforming or bending, as her wiliness to present herself, as a male was rather unusual for her time. Women typically do not appear as men upon taking the total power due to the fear that they would be overthrow or killed. Also, it is known that people knew that she is born a female, which she had shown her courage to dress like a man in public when it is generally unacceptable. Due to her time, there was no such as a well known LGBTQ* community so she had to fight on her own to be accepted by her subjects which she did by present herself as a