Description: (American Preacher)
The Public Universal Friend was an American preacher who claimed to have died and been reanimated as a genderless evangelist, rejecting birth name and gendered pronouns. Preaching in neutral attire, they emphasized free will, opposed slavery, and promoted sexual abstinence. Followers formed the Society of Universal Friends, with a core group of unmarried women in leadership roles. The Society acquired land in Western New York, founding the town of Jerusalem. The Friend's legacy is a subject of debate, with views ranging from fraudster to transgender pioneer.