Zoe Terakes reclaims queer love in ancient Greek myths in debut short story collection

Zoe Terakes has carved out a reputation as both a fearless performer and a passionate advocate for trans rights.

They've starred in Wentworth, appeared alongside Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy in Nine Perfect Strangers and recently made history as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first trans actor in Ironheart.

Embracing their Greek ancestry, the proud queer transmasculine performer has now turned to writing, recently publishing their debut book, Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers, re-imagining ancient Greek myths through a queer lens.

"Queer and trans love has always existed," Terakes writes in the book's introduction. "But our stories have been minimised, folded down by male historians into smaller and smaller pieces until they disappeared entirely.

"Because we have been erased, we must mine for our own past."

Ancient queer tales

That desire to reclaim and re-imagine drives Eros, which Terakes began developing several years ago out of a lifelong fascination with Greek myths.

"Since I was a kid, I've always been interested in them," they say. "There's something about ancient Greek myths or ancient Egyptian myths that kids are so fascinated by.

Across five stories drawn from Greek mythology, Terakes breathes new life into tales that were always queer and erotic before centuries of retelling stripped them of their inherent queerness.

"There is no shortage of queer, sexy Greek myths," they laugh. "They've just been historically recounted to us through heteropatriarchy, with implied shame and disgust.

"So, it's really been a process of stripping that voice out of it and just going, hold on, if I take away his opinion, what's the story that's being told? The story that's being told is incredibly sexy, explicitly queer, and often explicitly trans too.

"For me, as a queer Cretan person, it feels like there's less of a veil between me and the stories. They feel very immediate to me."

One myth in particular hit close to home: Iphis and Ianthe, set in Crete. Iphis, born female but raised as a male, falls in love with the female Ianthe, and is turned into a man by the Egyptian goddess Isis so the two can marry.

"It's just crazy," Terakes says.

"Like, it was just the most surreal thing — this literal ethnic transmasculinity in this very specific island. It just f**ked my brain a little bit."

Terakes's retelling of these ancient myths is unapologetically erotic. 

"There's so much sex in this book," they grin. "People are going to know me more intimately than maybe they'd have liked."

Telling trans stories

For Terakes, the book is also a response to the current climate of hostility toward trans people.

"That phrase can start to feel hollow, so it's been really beautiful to re-imbue that statement with meaning for myself.

"Spending time in stories that are incredibly trans and incredibly ancient has been powerful. I hope they provide the sort of shelter that they've provided for me."

Terakes's drive to tell their own stories is deeply political. "It's been pretty bleak out there," they admit.

"A study from a couple of years ago found there were like three trans characters in any major blockbuster film. That is horrendous.

"If we leave it to the powers that be, the stories are pretty one-dimensional. I want to build this world where we get to be in charge of our own stories."

With Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers, Terakes has created a space where queer pleasure, transness and mythology are no longer hidden, but celebrated.

"Most of the time I just felt calm and so at peace in myself writing these stories in a way that I don't really know if I have words for," they say. "But it just felt right."

Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers is published by Hachette Australia.