Found Family: Cleomachus, The Boxer/Poet: Strabo, Geog. XIV.1.41

The Trans Poet Cleomachus’ Found Family

Name:  Strabo Date:         64 BCE – 24 CE Region:     Amasia [modern Turkey] Citation:       Geography 14.1.40

When Cleomachus the Boxer was smitten with a certain cinaedus [1] and the girl he was raising, they began to imitate the speech patterns and mannerisms of a cinaedus.

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 [1] The term cinaedus is an umbrella term and cannot be accurately translated here. The original term refers to a bird that wiggles its tail, used to describe exotic dancers who "shake their booty." It can refer to human trafficking victims, same-sex couples, non-binary persons, etc. Although some authors use it as an insult (e.g., Catullus), it does not always have a negative connotation; Phlegon of Tralles uses this term in the next passage to describe men capable of giving birth.

καὶ Κλεόμαχος ὁ πύκτης, ὃς εἰς ἔρωτα ἐμπεσὼν κιναίδου τινὸς καὶ παιδίσκης ὑπὸ τῷ κιναίδῳ τρεφομένης ἀπεμιμήσατο τὴν ἀγωγὴν τῶν παρὰ τοῖς κιναίδοις διαλέκτων καὶ τῆς ἠθοποιίας:

Item Cleomachus pugil, qui in cinaedi cuiusdam & ancillae amore incidens, quae a cinaedo alebatur, cinaedorum et orationem et mores est imitatus. Translated into Latin by  Conradus Heresbachius