Love Beyond the Binary: The Story of Iphis & Ianthe
Queer love in mythology
An ancient queer love story worth remembering this Pride
Dear readers,
As we enter the third day of Pride Month, I would like to share a story, not from our modern headlines or contemporary memoirs, but from Greco-Roman mythology. A story over 2,000 years old, from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, that tells of same-sex love: gender transition and divine acceptance.
It’s the story of Iphis and Ianthe, and it's probably one of the oldest recorded tale of a queer love that ends well.
A Girl Raised as a Boy
Iphis is born to a poor couple in Crete. Her father, fearing the cost of raising a daughter, declares the baby must die if it isn’t a boy. Her mother, desperate to save her, disguises the child’s sex and raises Iphis as a boy.
Iphis grows up believing they must keep this secret forever.
Then comes Ianthe, beautiful, kind, and betrothed to Iphis. Ianthe falls in love with Iphis, never suspecting the truth. And Iphis, now a teenager, falls deeply in love as well. But they are tortured by a seemingly impossible contradiction: A girl loves a girl, yet she loves as a boy should.
Ovid weaves a haunting tale that is very modern. Iphis knows their love is real, and yet also believes it cannot exist in their world. It’s a moment of raw, queer vulnerability.
Transition Not Tragedy
As the wedding day approaches, Iphis is in despair. Their mother prays to the goddess Isis, who hears her plea.
And in a rare moment of divine compassion in ancient myth, Isis transforms Iphis into a man. The change is physical, but the love remains the same.
Iphis and Ianthe marry. There is no punishment, no exile, no tragic ending.
Only a love that survives, with the blessing of the gods.
Why This Story Matters?
Whether you read Iphis as a transman, a lesbian, or someone caught in a gender role society wouldn’t let them escape, the heart of the myth is clear:
Queer love existed long before modern language. Queer suffering was real — and so was queer joy.
And sometimes, the gods were on our side.
As we celebrate Pride this month, let’s remember that stories like Iphis and Ianthe’s aren’t new; they’re just often forgotten.
We’ve always been here.
In history.
In literature.
Even in myth.
With love and wonder,
Princess O’Nika