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Thursday, Feb. 13 the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies hosted Candace Kintzer Perry, curator of collections at the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center in Pennsburg, Pa. Perry discussed the life and importance of a genderless individual in the late 18th century.
This person was originally known as Jemima Wilkinson, a woman who had “died” due to a chronic illness; as her soul departed her physical body, another spirit overtook the flesh, awakening the beginning of “The Publick Universal Friend.”
In an era of a society striving towards acceptance and understanding for LGBTQ+ rights, the context of The Friend’s story demonstrates a strong member of this community centuries ago.
The tale of the Universal Friend began with Wilkinson. She was born in 1752 and was brought up in a Quaker household.
Quakers often held community meetings, and Wilkinson and her family were some of the individuals who attended.
They would be present at meetings in Cumberland with New Light Baptist; however, being from a family of strongly-worded people, Wilkinson and her relatives became shunned by the Quakers due to their outbursts of opinions. This caused much stress for the Wilkinsons in 1776.
In October of 1776, Wilkinson contracted a deadly disease that is now assumed to have been typhus.
It was believed by the Quakers that Wilkinson had passed from this illness and was then revived by God.
But once she had arisen, this new being claimed that Wilkinson had died, and her body had been requisitioned by God to preach the salvation of humankind.
This new spirit was known as “The Publick Universal Friend,” a gender non-conforming individual, charged by God to preach His word.
Since The Friend did not live by a specific gender, Perry used the pronouns they and theirs to address the individual.
During their life, the Friend was not addressed by any pronouns — masculine or feminine. The Friend was only ever referred to as “The Friend.”
Though the new being was born into a woman’s body, they did not believe in typical women’s fashion during the 18th century.
The Friend wore a long gown like a clergyman, with a white dress and a tie at the neck, and a large beaver hat with their hair down (typically, women wore their hair up).
The Friend’s dismissiveness of gendered clothes often caused offense.
However, many were compelled by the Friend.
The Friend believed in free will, the possibility of universal salvation, the second coming of the Messiah and the prediction that the world would end on May 19, 1780.
They would expect their followers to accept these beliefs to gain approval for Heaven.
The Friend traveled, preaching throughout Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
They had around 300 followers throughout their progressions, most notably the Wageners, a wealthy family that hosted and sponsored The Friend and their teachings.
Until The Friend’s death, they prompted a multitude of powerful and influential movements. Their followers referred to their death as “leaving time.”
The Friend portrayed themselves against society’s strict standards about gender identity and presentation.
Even when persuaded to comply with traditional gender roles, The Friend stayed true to their identity.
They refused to dress or act in a way that was contrary to how they viewed themself.
The Friend’s advocacy for both their faith and their gender identity holds significance in the context of current LGBTQ+ activism.
The Friend is especially significant for transgender, nonbinary and gender non-conforming individuals who aspire towards leadership roles in religious communities.
“The Friend’s story is very important for many reasons. Probably right now the most contemporary reason is … the refusal to see themselves as either solely male or solely female, and to see an identity that transcended specific gender,” the director of The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies Dr. Jeff Bach said.
Perry continued this discussion, stating “The Friend was a very radical person for the time period … this fellow stepped out of that mold … there’s a story there that many people today can really relate to.”
The Friend’s story is one that Bach and Perry encourage people to know, as it greatly associates with certain discussions in present society.
On campus, the Young Center provides resources and presentations that allow students to have a better understanding of lesser-known figures in religious history.
The Young Center is now in preparation for its next event, a Pietism seminar Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7.
During this event, three different scholars will give presentations on the lasting influence of Pietism.
The following event is a discussion of the Stoltzfus family and the restoration of their 18th century farmhouse by the family’s descendants.
Like The Friend, the Stoltzfus family is significant for challenging social precedents. While the Friend challenged gender, the Stoltzfus family made waves through the marriage of a Lutheran man to an Amish woman.
The Young Center encourages all to attend these thought-provoking events.
