Nonbinary Gender in the Middle Ages: Recognising Wilgefortis, featuring Professor Bob Mills (documentary)

Podcast category: Bentham's Defence of Sexual Liberty, Documentary

Did the medieval world embrace gender diversity more than we think? In this documentary, Professor of Medieval Studies Professor Bob Mills joins Professor Philip Schofield to explore the legend of Saint Wilgefortis: a virgin martyr who grew a beard to escape forced marriage. Her story, rich with gender ambiguity, resonated deeply with medieval worshippers and still holds meaning for trans, queer and non-binary people today. Through striking artworks and shifting church responses, this film challenges the myth of a strictly binary Middle Ages, and the idea that gender diversity is a modern phenomenon.