Chevalier d’Eon – A Case of Gender Mobbing in the 18th Century

Abstract

Chevalier d'Eon de Beaumont (1728-1810) was sexually indeterminate in external appearance. By transgressing the so-called 'gender order' of the 18th century he became a victim of gender discrimination, particularly on the basis of his transvestism. The literary analysis of a pamphlet in the disguise of a fable serves as a case study of the political and religious prejudices that were incongruous with the ideals of the Enlightenment. During the subsequent centuries numerous attempts have been made to interpret the gender role, gender identity and sexual orientation of the Chevalier. The recent findings by neuroscientists with regard to sexual dimorphism shed a new light upon the case.