Cross-dressing Roman tyrant was transgender, Hertfordshire museum declares: Boy emperor Elagabalus - the sadist whose sexual hedonism was unparalleled - MUST be referred to as 'she', officials decree

A Roman emperor has been branded transgender by a British museum provoking uproar among historians.

The North Hertfordshire Museum has decided to refer to the 3rd-century AD ruler Elagabalus as 'she' to be 'sensitive' to their pronoun preferences in a display.

The council-run museum in Hithcin, which consults with the LGBT charity Stonewall, owns a coin minted in the reign and uses it in LGBT-themed displays.

The decision is based off the account of Roman chronicler Cassius Dio, who claims that Elagabalus was 'termed wife, mistress and queen', told one lover 'Call me not Lord, for I am a Lady', and asked for female genitalia to be fashioned for him.

But Dio served the emperor Severus Alexander, who took the throne following the murder of Elagabalus, and historians believe the accounts were simply a character assassination.

Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, a Cambridge classics professor, told the Telegraph: 'The Romans didn't have our idea of "trans" as a category, but they used accusations of sexual behaviour "as a woman" as one of the worst insults against men.'

Keith Hoskins, executive member for arts at North Herts Council, said: 'Elagabalus most definitely preferred the "she" pronoun and as such this is something we reflect when discussing her in contemporary times.'