Callon of Epidaurus

Callon (born Callo; fl. 2nd century BC) was an intersex person, whose medical treatment is the first recorded example of gender affirmation surgery. His life is known from the works of Diodorus Siculus.

Biography Callon was born in Epidaurus in Greece, during the second half of the second century BC. The details known about Callon's life appear in the Bibliotheca Historica written by Diodorus Siculus. Assigned female at birth, he is described by Diodorus Siculus as an orphan, who was forced to marry when he "came of age" and lived with his husband for two years. Diodorus Siculus reported he had heard that Callon was a priestess prior to his marriage. After his transition, Callon was brought to trial since he had witnessed religious rituals which were exclusive to women, before he had transitioned. The surgery he underwent is the first recorded procedure of its type and differs little from modern techniques. Shaun Tougher observes that both Callon and Diophantus' lives are found "in the context of the Hellenistic east".