We in the 16th Century believe that femininity and masculinity are determined by genitalia. It is natural for women to behave in certain ways because that is how we are made! We are of the earth….cold and damp. For some reason that makes us weak and incapable of intellect —this means we are feminine. Don’t ask me…I am just reporting this. I didn’t make it up. Men, on the other hand are warm and dry and therefore smarter and better than women —this means they are masculine. We know this to be true because the Bible spells it out pretty clearly. Is Eve not responsible for Adam’s downfall? Also ET, both the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church have made it clear that women are dangerous and need to be controlled, lest we tempt men into evil or in some way prevent them from being good people. We are incapable of wit, although we can master things like reading and simple arithmetic because we do need to be good company after all. I am considered unusual because I can speak and write in Latin. In order to explain this anomaly, some men have questioned whether or not I am actually a woman, or have speculated that I might possess the genitals of a woman and a man.
Women are not good rulers. Men are rational and are good leaders because they don’t have vaginas. Are you following? The presence of a uterus also makes it difficult for women to make the tough decisions that a ruler must make. In my case though, I feel that just because I possess the reproductive organs of a woman, it does not mean that I am controlled by emotion, or that I am rash in my decision making. Therefore, I am like a man—or a King if you will. My brain must rule my heart, which, as I have explained is not natural for women. And…(try to follow me) the hearts of men are not only more rational but are stronger and less fickle than those of women. A good ruler needs to be loyal and less subject to the silly things —like love. Women also have weak stomachs and therefore cannot be soldiers, for instance. The stomachs of men are strong (maybe there is less bile) and they can chop off heads willy-nilly. But I have proven that I too can engage in a little manly head-chopping.
I suppose all of this means that we might have to question some of the assumptions we have been making about women. But maybe not, because I am after all a Queen and an exception to the natural order. Someday we may begin to understand that traits like reason or emotion or strength are not specific to one sex or the other. You might have to visit the future to find this out….maybe the 22nd Century?
