When Ewan’s father and brother died, he was the next man in line to inherit his family’s aristocratic title. His cousin John took offence to this, and took him to court to question the validity of his gender. Though Ewan was forced through a degrading and humiliating trial, including full-body examinations and a cross-examination of his wife, he eventually won and set a precedent for transgender people in cases of primogeniture inheritance. Ewan’s ordeal feels particularly pertinent to the trans experience of today as many trans people are still quizzed and harassed for the personal details of their transition and body parts they may or may not have.

His story was erased from history for decades, and the case files would not be made fully public until 2021 – an eye-watering 53 years after the fact.

LGBT+ stories like Ewan’s are so valuable for young people, and I should not have had to wait until my 20s to stumble across a social media post and learn about the trailblazing man who took a transphobe to court and won.

His story, and the stories of countless other LGBT+ figures in history, serve as  strong reminders of why inclusive education in schools is so vital. Children should grow up knowing that LGBT+ people have always existed across all walks of life, stories like Ewan’s teach us to not be afraid to stand up for ourselves and our identities and know that there will always be people to support us.

Young people both in and out of the community should grow up with role models and inspiration from across the rainbow, and know that we have always existed and always will.

Morgan is an ambassador for Just Like Us, the LGBT+ young people’s charity – sign up for their newsletter.