hello love. I'm trans as well and I completely understand how hard it is to hide your identity. I'm not out to my family, nor my professional life. especially with how trans people continue to be attacked, I am so genuinely sorry that we live in a world where you feel afraid to live your life comfortably. Dionysos is my trans safe haven, so is Aphrodite/Aphroditos, because I struggle to find a place that's comfortable in the outside world.
I want to say first that Dionysos is certainly a favorite among fellow trans worshippers. there is a historical reason for this. you may hear some say that Dionysos is a God of queer people, or a transgender Deity, or that He was raised transgender. these truths have been heavily modernized (there was no unified idea of being "transgender" in antiquity) but nevertheless, Dionysos is historically a gender-challenging, effeminate Deity that fostered a non-judgemental environment for His followers. here are some examples:
Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 28 (trans. Aldrich) :
"Hermes took him [the newborn infant Dionysos] to Ino and Athamas [the nymphai], and persuaded them to bring him up as a girl."
In some accounts, Dionysos is raised as a girl-child in order to hide Him from the wrath of Hera. below is an expert from Oedipus hinting that Dionysos's female childhood made Him partial to feminine clothing and presentation.
Seneca, Oedipus 418 ff (trans. Miller) (Roman tragedy C1st A.D.) :
"Fearing thy stepdame's [Hera's] wrath, thou [Dionysos] didst grow to manhood with false-seeming limbs, a pretended maiden with golden ringlets, with saffron girdle binding thy garments. So thereafter this soft vesture has pleased thee, folds loose hanging and the long-trailing mantle."
another gender-bending aspect of Dionysos is that He is noted as taking on the "female" role within homosexual relationships. in antiquity, men who were penetrated were seen as more naive, young, and feminine than the men who enacted penetration during intercourse. this is where we get the epithet Androgynos, the God who has sex both in the male form and female form. this was sometimes seen derogatorily unfortunately, especially with later writers.
Suidas s.v. Androgynos (trans. Suda On Line) (Byzantine Greek lexicon C10th A.D.) :
"Androgynos: [A word applied to] Dionysos, as one doing both active, male things and passive, female ones [in sexual intercourse]. Alternatively ‘effeminate’ (anandros), and hermaphroditic (hermaphroditos) [also men who have lost their virility including eunuchs]. Also [in the genitive plural, meaning those who are] weak and have the hearts of women."
**context: this quote is from a 10th century Byzantine author, so take this with some salt
I think it's important to note too about one of Dionysos's birth stories. this interpretation is modern, but I see His birth from Zeus as another way Dionysos has challenged sexual and gender binary.
Euripides, Bacchae:
"Daughter of Akheloios, venerable Dirke [spring on Mt Kithairon], happy virgin, you once received the child of Zeus [Dionysos] in your streams, when Zeus his father snatched him up from the immortal fire and saved him in his thigh, crying out : ‘Go, Dithyrambos, enter this my male womb. I will make you illustrious, Bakkhos, in Thebes, so that they will call you by this name.’"
like I said before, there wasn't really a concept of "transgender" in antiquity. there were cross-dressers and events that encouraged the practice, especially in Dionysian imagery (like Pentheus, Dionysos's childhood, and Euripides's descriptions of Him). He was a phallic God of women and a protector of the vulnerable.
now comes the fun part. In Modern Times, i absolutely consider Dionysos the God of transgender people and the protector of queer individuals. I say this because of my own experience and because a large chunk of Dionysos's mythology and theology is a great allegory for trans-ness.
Dionysos is born in secrecy and raised as a woman in hiding. Dionysos is born from a male womb. Dionysos is torn to shreds by titans and then His heart reforms His body. Dionysos is ritually torn apart by worshippers (sparagamos) and sometimes His flesh (in the form of a bull or animal) is consumed raw (omophagia). Dionysos is a shape-shifting God in The Bacchae and other times is personified as a bull or goat. Dionysos is effeminate; Dionysos is an elder, bearded man. you see my point. MANY aspects of Dionysian culture can be viewed as allegories for the modern transgender experience. these themes were prominent enough to follow writers all the way into Rome and to appear in later writings like Nonnus's.
everything above is my long, winded way of saying "YES, Dionysos understands". He understands deeper than many see and I worship Him as a transgender Deity. Dionysos is the reason I explored my identity in the first place and He is my safe space for expressing myself unapologetically. my depictions of Him are always gender-nonconforming and I generally view Him as a God of Transitions. Gender transitions yes, but also life transitions: moving home, finding new opportunities, social changes, etc. He is a God that helps us through these massive life events and eases the pain that comes with it. I find Him similar to Hekate in these aspects (upg), a Deity of the liminal in-between stages and the celebrator of the end-goal.
I sympathize with your unease. I have felt scared to approach the Gods with hard topics because it would feel devastating to be rejected by our own Gods. However, I have never once experienced berating for the act of asking nor for sharing my fears and pain. the Gods are here to build us up, not knock us down. you won't know if incorporating your trans identity into your religion works for you unless you try it. I'll bet that Dionysos would be happy to hear your voice and see your face regardless of what you're asking of Him.
I wouldn't be where I am today without Dionysos. I would probably still be a messed up, insecure mess. I had no idea my lack of confidence and hatred of my body was my dysphoria weighing me down. not until Dionysos pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to dress how I want to. the first step is the hardest in my opinion, but it's so so so worth it. Dionysos supports all of our intricacies and changes. even if I decide to detransition or change my identity once more, I know He will always be in my corner.
I sincerely wish you the best anon. the confidence it takes to speak about topics like this is massive and I'm proud of you for taking this step of inquiring about it ! whatever you decide, the Theoi will be by your side. also, thank you for giving me the opportunity to rant about Dionysos's trans aspects and my upg 🫶💕🍇 cheers !
