Crossdressing during wartime
Encyclopedia
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
during wartime under various circumstances and for various motives. This has been especially true of women, whether while serving as a soldier in otherwise all-male armies, while protecting or disguising their identity in dangerous circumstances, or for other purposes. Conversely, men would dress as women to avoid being drafted, the mythological precedent for this being Achilles
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
hiding at the court of Lycomedes
Lycomedes
Lycomedes , in Greek mythology, was the King of Scyros during the Trojan War.-Lycomedes and Achilles:Before the war, Thetis sent her son Achilles, disguised as a girl, to Lycomedes's court, as a prophecy had decreed that he would die at Troy. It was there that Achilles married Lycomedes' daughter...
dressed as a girl to avoid participation in the Trojan War
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
.
Antiquity
- Epipole of CarystusEpipole of CarystusIn Greek mythology, Epipole was a daughter of Trachion, of Carystus in Euboea. In the disguise of a man she went with the Greeks against Troy. But when Palamedes discovered her sex, she was stoned to death by the Greek army....
was a Greek woman reported by ChennosPtolemaeus ChennusPtolemaeus Chennus or Chennos , of Alexandria, was a Greek grammarian during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian.According to the Suda, he was the author of an historical drama named Sphinx, of an epic, Anthomeros, in 24 books and a Strange History...
to have joined the Greek army in the Trojan WarTrojan WarIn Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
. - AchillesAchillesIn Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
was a Greek hero in the Trojan War. After hearing an Oracle that her son would die in battle, his mother, ThetisThetisSilver-footed Thetis , disposer or "placer" , is encountered in Greek mythology mostly as a sea nymph or known as the goddess of water, one of the fifty Nereids, daughters of the ancient one of the seas with shape-shifting abilities who survives in the historical vestiges of most later Greek myths...
, hid him in woman's clothing to prevent him from being taken to war.
Middle Ages
- Hua MulanHua MulanHua Mulan is a legendary figure from ancient China who was originally described in a Chinese poem known as the Ballad of Mulan . In the poem, Hua Mulan takes her aged father's place in the army. She fought for 12 years and gained high merit, but she refused any reward and retired to her hometown...
was, according to a famous Chinese poem, a woman who joined the Chinese army in her father's stead.
Fourteenth century
- Jeanne de ClissonJeanne de ClissonJeanne de Clisson , also known as the Lioness of Brittany, was a feared Breton pirate who plied the English Channel for French ships from 1343 to 1356.-Early life and family:...
(1300–1359), the “Lioness of Brittany”, was a pirate who plied the English Channel for French ships from 1343 to 1356. - Joanna of FlandersJoanna of FlandersJoanna of Flanders , also known as, Countess Jeanne, Jehanne de Montfort, and Jeanne la Flamme, was consort Duchess of Brittany by her marriage to John IV, Duke of Brittany...
(c. 1295–1374) led the Montfortist faction in Brittany in the 1340s after the capture of her husband left her as the titular head of the family. She wore male dress at engagements such as the siege of HennebontHennebontHennebont is a commune in the Morbihan department in the region of Brittany in north-western France.-Geography:Hennebont is situated about ten miles from the mouth of the River Blavet, which divides it into two parts: the Ville Close, the medieval walled town, and the 17th century Ville Neuve on...
. - Onorata RodianiOnorata RodianiOnorata Rodiani was a "semi-legendary" Italian painter and condottiere. Her home town is given as Castelleone, near Cremona.-Killing a cremonese courtier:...
(1403–1452) was a semilegendary Italian mercenary.
Fifteenth century
- Jacqueline of WittelsbachJacqueline, Countess of HainautJacqueline of Wittelsbach was Duchess of Bavaria-Straubing, Countess of Hainaut and Holland from 1417 to 1432...
, Countess of Hainaut (1401–1436) led the Hoek factionHook and Cod warsThe Hook and Cod wars comprise a series of wars and battles in the County of Holland between 1350 and 1490. Most of these wars were fought over the title of count of Holland, but some have argued that the underlying reason was because of the power struggle of the bourgeois in the cities against...
in Holland. She and one of her servants disguised themselves as soldiers to escape confinement in Ghent. - Joan of ArcJoan of ArcSaint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
(c. 1412–1431), the national heroine of France, led armies in male clothing during the Hundred Years' WarHundred Years' WarThe Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
and was accused of cross-dressing by the tribunal that sentenced her to death.
Sixteenth century
- Brita OlofsdotterBrita OlofsdotterBrita Olofsdotter , was a Finnish soldier of the Swedish cavalry. She is the likely first confirmed female soldier in Sweden, as well as the first confirmed Swedish example of the historical phenomena of women impersonating men to gain access to professions barred to their gender.Olofsdotter was...
, widow after soldier Nils Simonsson, serves in the Finnish troup in the Swedish cavalry in Livonia; she is killed in battle, and king John III of Sweden orders for her salary to be paid to her family.
Seventeenth century
- Catalina de ErausoCatalina de ErausoCatalina de Erauso, also known as La Monja Alférez , was a semi-legendary personality of the Basque Country, Spain and Spanish America in the first half of the seventeenth century.- Life :Catalina de Erauso was daughter and sister of soldiers from the city of San Sebastián in Spain...
(1592–1650), the Nun Lieutenant, was a semilegendary Spanish adventurer.
Eighteenth century
- Bonnie Prince Charlie (1720–1788) dressed as Flora MacDonald's maid servant, Betty Burke, to escape the Battle of CullodenBattle of CullodenThe Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
for the island of SkyeSkyeSkye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
in 1746. - Deborah SampsonDeborah SampsonDeborah Samson Gannett , better known as Deborah Sampson, was an American woman who impersonated a man in order to serve in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. She is one of a small number of women with a documented record of military combat experience in that war...
(1760–1827) of Massachusetts was the first known American woman who disguised herself as a soldier. She served in the Continental ArmyContinental ArmyThe Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
in the Revolutionary War. - Joanna ŻubrJoanna ZubrJoanna Żubr was a Polish soldier of the Napoleonic Wars, veteran of the Polish-Austrian War and the first woman to receive the Virtuti Militari, the highest Polish military order....
(1770–1852) was a Polish soldier of the Napoleonic Wars and the first woman to receive the Virtuti MilitariVirtuti MilitariThe Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
, the highest Polish military order. - Hannah SnellHannah SnellHannah Snell was a British woman who disguised herself as a man and became a soldier.Hannah Snell was born in Worcester, England on 23 April, 1723. Locals claim that she played a soldier even as a child. In 1740, she moved to London and later married James Summs on 6 January, 1744.In 1746, she...
(1723–1792) was an Englishwoman who entered military service under the name "James Gray", initially for the purpose of searching for her missing husband. She served in General Guise's regiment in the army of the Duke of Northumberland, and then in the marinesRoyal MarinesThe Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
. - Ulrika Eleonora StålhammarUlrika Eleonora StålhammarUlrika Eleonora Stålhammar was a Swedish corporal and crossdresser who served during the Great Northern War. She was put on trial for having served as a military posing as a man and for marrying a woman...
(1688–1733) was a SwedishSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
female soldier and crossdresser during the Great Northern WarGreat Northern WarThe Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
.
Nineteenth century
- Antonio Lopez de Santa AnnaAntonio López de Santa AnnaAntonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
, Mexican dictator and general, tried to escape after his defeat at San Jacinto disguised as a woman. - Albert D. J. Cashier (1843–1915), born Jennie Irene Hodgers, was an Irish-born woman served in the Union Army during the American Civil War as a male soldier.
- Jane DieulafoyJane DieulafoyJane Dieulafoy was a French archaeologist, explorer, novelist and journalist. She was the wife of Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy. Together with her husband, she is known for her excavations at Susa.-Career:...
(1851-1916) was a French woman who, when her husband enlisted during the Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian WarThe Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, dressed as a man and fought alongside him. - Nadezhda DurovaNadezhda DurovaNadezhda Andreyevna Durova , also known as Alexander Durov, Alexander Sokolov and Alexander Andreevich Alexandrov, was a woman who became a decorated soldier in the Russian cavalry during the Napoleonic wars. She was the first known female officer in the Russian military...
(1783–1866) was a decorated Russian cavalry soldier of the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
who spent nine years disguised as a man. - Eleonore ProchaskaEleonore ProchaskaEleonore Prochaska was a German woman soldier who fought in the Prussian army against Napoleon during the War of the Sixth Coalition.-Life:...
(1785–1813) was a German woman soldier who fought in the Lützow Free CorpsLützow Free CorpsLützow Free Corps was a voluntary force of the Prussian army during the Napoleonic Wars. It was named after its commander, Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm von Lützow. They were also widely known as "Lützower Jäger" or "Schwarze Jäger" .-Origins:...
during the War of the Sixth CoalitionWar of the Sixth CoalitionIn the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
. - Friederike KrügerFriederike KrügerFriederike Krüger, alias August Lübeck or Auguste Krüger was a soldier in the Prussian army.-Life:...
(1789–1848) was a soldier in the Prussian armyPrussian ArmyThe Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
. - James Barry (surgeon)James Barry (surgeon)James Barry , was a military surgeon in the British Army. After graduation from the University of Edinburgh, Barry served in India and Cape Town, South Africa. By the end of his career, he had risen to the rank of Inspector General in charge of military hospitals...
(c. 1792-1795 – 25 July 1865) was a military surgeonSurgeonIn medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
in the British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
who is widely believed to have been born female and named Margaret Ann Bulkley. - Anna LühringAnna LühringAnna Lühring was a soldier in the Prussian army during the Napoleonic Wars.-Life:...
(1796–1866) (sometimes wrongly referred to as Anna Lührmann) was a German soldier in the Lützow Free CorpsLützow Free CorpsLützow Free Corps was a voluntary force of the Prussian army during the Napoleonic Wars. It was named after its commander, Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm von Lützow. They were also widely known as "Lützower Jäger" or "Schwarze Jäger" .-Origins:...
during the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. - Mária LebstückMária LebstückMária Lebstück , was a Hussar officer during the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848 and 1849 under the name Károly Lebstück. She was the first woman to have been officer of the Hussar....
(1831-1892) was a HussarHussarHussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
officer during the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848 and 1849Hungarian Revolution of 1848The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
under the name Károly Lebstück. - Sarah Emma Edmonds (1841–1898) served with the Union ArmyUnion ArmyThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
in the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
disguised as a man named Frank Thompson. - Mollie BeanMollie BeanMollie Bean was a North Carolina woman who, pretending to be a man, joined the 47th North Carolina, a unit of the Confederate army in the American Civil War....
served with the Confederate Army in the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
under the alias Melvin Bean. - Cathay Williams (1844–1892) was a former slave who became the first recorded African-American woman in the U.S. Army.
- Loreta Janeta VelazquezLoreta Janeta VelazquezLoreta Janeta Velazquez , was a Cuban-born woman who masqueraded as a male Confederate soldier during the Civil War. She enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1861, without her soldier-husband's knowledge. She fought at Bull Run, Ball's Bluff and Fort Donelson, but her gender was discovered while in...
a.k.a. "Lieutenant Harry Buford" (June 26, 1842- c.1897) - A Cuban woman who donned Confederate garb and served as a Confederate officer and spy during the war.
Twentieth century
- Ecaterina TeodoroiuEcaterina TeodoroiuEcaterina Teodoroiu was a Romanian woman who fought and died in World War I, and is regarded as a heroine of Romania.In Romanian historiography, Ecaterina Teodoroiu is placed in the context of gendered experience of the Great War on the Eastern Front, on the same pedestal as Queen Maria of...
(1894–1917), regarded as a heroine of RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, fought and died in World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. However, her biography does not note that she crossdressed in order to fight. - Dorothy LawrenceDorothy LawrenceDorothy Lawrence was an English reporter who secretly posed as a man to become a soldier during the First World War.- Early life :...
(1896–1964) was a British reporter who served as a man in the army during World War I. - Frieda BelinfanteFrieda BelinfanteFrieda Belinfante was a Dutch cellist, conductor, a prominent lesbian and a member of the Dutch Resistance during World War II. After the war, Belinfante immigrated to the United States and continued her career in music...
(1904-1995) was a prominent musician and World War II Dutch Resistance fighter who disguised herself as a man for 6 months to avoid capture by the Gestapo. - Ehud BarakEhud BarakEhud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
(b. 1942), the later prime ministerPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, disguised himself as a woman to assassinate members of the Palestine Liberation OrganizationPalestine Liberation OrganizationThe Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
in BeirutBeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
during the 1973 covert mission Operation Spring of YouthOperation Spring of YouthThe 1973 Israeli raid on Lebanon took place on the night of April 9 and early morning of April 10, 1973 when Israel Defense Forces special forces units attacked several Palestine Liberation Organization targets in Beirut and Sidon, Lebanon...
.
Twenty-first century
- Abdul Aziz GhaziAbdul Aziz GhaziMuhammad Abdul Aziz is a Pakistani cleric, son of Maulana Muhammad Abdullah and elder brother of Abdul Rashid Ghazi. He was the Khateeb in the central mosque of Islamabad known as Lal Masjid, which was the site of a siege in 2007 with the Pakistani army...
is a Pakistani cleric who, having ordered his followers to fight to the death, sneaked out of the Lal MasjidLal MasjidThe Lal Masjid is a mosque located in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. A religious school for women, the Jamia Hafsa madrasah, and a male madrasah, Jamia Faridia are attached to the mosque.-History:...
dressed in a burqaBurqaA burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...
.
As a major plot device in fiction
- In J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
, ÉowynÉowynÉowyn is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, who appears in his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings. She is a noblewoman of Rohan who describes herself as a "shieldmaiden".-Literature:...
, the White Lady of Rohan, pretends to be a man and slips off to combat the forces of Mordor. - In All the Queen's MenAll the Queen's MenAll the Queen's Men is a 2001 action comedy war film. It was directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky and stars Matt LeBlanc and Eddie Izzard. The budget was $15,000,000, but the film only earned $22,723 worldwide, yielding an approximate -99.92% return.-Cast:...
, a 2001 comedy set during WWII, cross-dressing is a central plot device. - Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's novel Monstrous RegimentMonstrous Regiment (novel)Monstrous Regiment is the 31st novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. It takes its name from the anti-Catholic 16th century tract by John Knox, the full title of which is The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regimen of Women....
is a satirical look at the phenomenon. - I was a Male War Bride is a comedy where the male French officer, played by Cary GrantCary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
, must dress like a woman to return as a war bride of his American military wife. - One of the running gags of the TV series M*A*S*H is Klinger's attempts to get discharge from military service by crossdressing.
- In the DisneyWalt Disney Feature AnimationWalt Disney Animation Studios is an American animation studio headquartered in Burbank, California. The studio, founded in 1923 as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio by brothers Walt and Roy Disney, is the oldest subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
film MulanMulanMulan is a 1998 American animated film directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, with story by Robert D. San Souci and screenplay by Rita Hsiao, Philip LaZebnik, Chris Sanders, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, and Raymond Singer. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney...
, which is based on the story of Hua MulanHua MulanHua Mulan is a legendary figure from ancient China who was originally described in a Chinese poem known as the Ballad of Mulan . In the poem, Hua Mulan takes her aged father's place in the army. She fought for 12 years and gained high merit, but she refused any reward and retired to her hometown...
, Mulan dresses as a male to save her father from being drafted. - In Tamora PierceTamora PierceTamora Pierce is an author of fantasy literature for young adults. She is an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania. Best known for writing stories involving young heroines, she made a name for herself with her first quartet The Song of the Lioness, which followed the main character Alanna...
's The Song of the LionessThe Song of the LionessThe Song of the Lioness is a series of young adult fantasy novels published in the 1980s by Tamora Pierce. The series consists of four books: Alanna: The First Adventure , In the Hand of the Goddess , The Woman Who Rides Like a Man and Lioness Rampant .-Plot Summary:Alanna of Trebond wants to be a...
quartet of books, Alanna of Trebond disguises herself as a boy named Alan and goes to be trained in place of her twin brother to become a royal knight, a position only given to noble-born boys. Over the course of the four books, and others in the Tortall Universe, Alanna proceeds to fight for the kingdom as an accomplished knight both before and after the discovery of her true gender. - Genesis Climber MospeadaGenesis Climber Mospeadais an anime science fiction series created by Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series ran from late 1983 to early 1984 in Japan...
was perhaps the first animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series to feature a regular crossdresser amongst the main protagonists. Yellow Belmont, a former soldier, crossdressed to avoid anti-soldier reprisals by the Imbit and others, and eventually became an accomplished pop singer. During the course of the series, Yellow would cross-dress to hold concerts, enabling his soldier comrades to procure much needed supplies for their war against the Imbit. Yellow had many fans of his music; none outside of his circle of friends realized he was a man until he revealed it to the public during the final episode of Mospeada. - H. E. BatesH. E. BatesHerbert Ernest Bates, CBE , better known as H. E. Bates, was an English writer and author. His best-known works include Love for Lydia, The Darling Buds of May, and My Uncle Silas.-Early life:...
's novel The Triple Echo is about a World War II army deserter who cross-dresses to avoid arrest. This was made into a filmThe Triple EchoThe Triple Echo is a 1972 British drama film directed by Michael Apted starring Glenda Jackson, Brian Deacon and Oliver Reed, and based on a novel by H. E...
in 1972. - Mary "Jacky" Faber does this as the titular heroine of the Bloody Jack series of novels, fighting in the Napoleonic Wars.
- Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, a steampunk novel in which Deryn "Dylan" Sharp disguises herself so she can join the Royal Air Service.
- In Shakespeare's As You Like ItAs You Like ItAs You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
, the lead character Rosalind during part of the play disguises herself as a man named Ganymede. Since all players in Shakespeare's time were male, this meant that a man played a woman disguised as a man. Though the setting of the play is not military, Ganymede's disguise is warrior-like: "A gallant curtle-axe upon my thigh, a boar-spear in my hand; and -- in my heart lie there what hidden woman's fear there will -- we'll have a swashing and a martial outside."