The Queer Motivation of Ancient Female Monastics: A Study of the Envisioned and Actual Queer Space in the Monastic Communities in Egypt in Late Antiquity

Abstract: Ancient queer women needed a queer space that transgressed the restrictive norms of the society they were living in. In this article, I show the queer space—actual and envisioned—in the monasteries in Egypt in late antiquity. I propose that ancient queer women were motivated by this queer space to join the monasteries. I study a selection of sources spanning different genres to show this queer space. These sources can be split into two categories that are not mutually exclusive—namely, sources evidencing genderqueer monastics in the monastic communities and sources evidencing queer women regarding sexuality in the monastic communities. Finally, I conclude this article by demonstrating why the queer spaces found in the monastic communities were not just a fact but helps explain why some ancient queer women were motivated to join these communities.