Transgender Women: Modern Day Witch Hunt Victims
From the Middle Ages until now, some things don’t change
Elizabeth Johnson Jr. was the last witch executed in the US in 1693 and Anna Göldi was the last witch executed in Europe in 1782.
Historians who have analyzed the writings from the time have suggested that the disproportionate storm of hate was caused by churches and governments that were under intense pressure to clean up society. Scholars have suggested that bad weather, decreased income, and weak governments could have also contributed to the witch-trial period in Europe. Other theories suggest these trials were a way for Catholic and Protestant churches to compete with each other for followers while emerging governments wanted to prove that they were appointed by God: “Obey us because God is on our side.”
They had a duty to stamp out “ungodliness.”
Witch hunts were fueled by prejudice, religious extremism, and long-brewing social tensions. They were further fueled by greedy and unscrupulous witch-hunters, who stood to make considerable financial gains from finding and executing so-called witches in large numbers.
The vast majority of those executed as witches were women. They were easy victims. Women had no rights and were seen as second-class citizens. They were…
