Harlots and Heretics

Forget about any thoughts you may have had about women sitting at home quietly knitting in a tower during the Middle Ages. That simply wasn’t the case.  Some women defied norms, including those of culture and religion, and experienced lives of oppression, threats, and –often — fulfillment.

Wilgefortis became a saint, but only after praying to become loathsome to her suitor, whereupon she grew a beard and her father crucified her!
Wilgefortis became a saint, but only after praying to become loathsome to her suitor, whereupon she grew a beard and her father crucified her. She has become an important icon for feminists and members of the LBGTQ community.