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Femininity as a Disease:

Soren of the J'naii

by Brother Kurzon and Sister Usha

Divinely Female

Source: Star Trek Next Generation, episode 217: "The Outcast"

The J'naii are a race of genderless beings inhabiting a distant planet. There is no difference between male and female in their society. Everyone is equal. Reproduction occurs when any two J'naii inject cell-containing fluid into a fibrous cocoon. This is described as pleasurable, but involving limited physical contact between the participants, and limited emotional involvement.

As least this is the official ideology the J'naii explain to off-worlders. The truth is that centuries ago, the J'naii did have male and female members. They have, in their view, "evolved beyond" gender.  The have come to view their genderless existance as vastly superior to the "primitive" state of gender exhibited by other species.

Occasionally, a J'naii exhibits some tendency toward maleness or femaleness. Such people are regarded as mentally ill, requiring drastic treatment to cure them off their disease. The human term "brainwashing" comes close to describing the process.

Soren was a J'naii with strong female tendencies, hiding this from nearly everyone her entire life. She was a member of secret underground organization, a clandestine support group made up of people with similar feelings. She confided this information to a visitor from Earth (Commander William T. Riker, first officer of the Enterprise). Will and Soren were strongly attracted to one another and each expressed these feelings openly. The episode avoids the question of whether they consummated a physical relationship, but it is very clear that they developed a strong emotional bond.

All was well until the J'naii authorities figured out what had happened. Soren was arrested and brought to trial. No longer in doubt of the legitimacy of her feelings, she gave an impassioned speech to a room crowded with hundreds of spectators. "Yes, I am female!" she proclaimed. Addressing the Chief Magistrate, she added, "And what gives you the right to tell me that there is anything wrong with that? Who are you to dictate to me who I can love and how?" Her pleas were in vain; the J'naii were unsympathetic. Soren was forcibly removed from the room, destined to be subjected to brainwashing.

Will Riker desided to rescue her, in clear violation of both J'naii law and his own Starfleet regulations. Captain Picard agreed to turn a blind eye, not sanctioning the action, but doing nothing to prevent it. Will and a few companions beamed down to the planet to force an armed rescue. But they were too late. Soren asked Will "But why would I want to leave with you? I was sick, but now I am cured. I am very sorry that you have these feelings for me."

Several people have said that this entire story was written as a allegory. If you change only a few words of Soren's speech at her trial, you have an eloquent defense of homosexuality. It is likely that the script writers did intend it this way. We at Divinely Female, however, prefer to take the tale at face value, a passionate defense of femininity. We are proud to be female, and we defy anyone to try to tell us we should not be.

Women have been treated unfairly in many countries for many centuries. People have assumed that the fact that men are on average physically stronger than women gives them the right to dominate us. In recent decades, strides have been made to correct that misperception. We applaud these efforts. Some have suggested that the road to political and economic equality for men and women is to follow the J'naii path, i.e. to pretend that there are no differences between men and women. With this we disagree. Yes, men and women are different, not only in anatomical features but also in temperament and attitudes about many things. The way to equality lies not in pretending that women are in fact male, but rather in valuing femininity for the ways in which it differs from masculinity. Both are important and society needs to underscore that.

Every person who has ever breathed a single breath of life on this planet lived for the first fragile months of her/his existance inside a woman's womb. Every man owes his existance to his mother. For this, every woman should feel proud. The vast majority of babies in the history of this planet nursed from their mother's breasts for the first several months after their birth. Again, every woman on earth should be proud. The vast majority of children owe their survival to their mother protecting them from harm. The female heart carries great love for her children, and is also capable of great rage against anyone threatening them. The world is a much safer place for children as a result. Every woman should feel proud of this.