<\/p>\n
pictore<\/cite><\/p>\n The upcoming British period drama Majesty<\/em> is in the news following unconfirmed reports that the show is looking to cast a trans woman as Queen Elizabeth I.<\/p>\n On March 31, British tabloid The Sun<\/em><\/a> released an exclusive article claiming that the series is seeking a trans actress to play the famous monarch.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in an April 2 article<\/a>, Attitude<\/em> shared an alleged casting call for Majesty, which seeks \u201csomeone to play the fantastic leading role of a young trans woman.\u201d<\/p>\n While it might seem outlandish to some, the rumor that Queen Elizabeth I might have been trans has been around for some time.<\/p>\n A popular conspiracy theory known as the \u201cBisley Boy\u201d legend<\/a> theorizes that the real Elizabeth died of the plague at nine years old and was replaced by a young boy who looked enough like her to fool her father, King Henry VIII.<\/p>\n \u201cMost historians dismiss the claims as misogyny motivated by the idea that no woman could be as strong or capable without actually being a man,\u201d a \u201cTV insider\u201d reportedly told The Sun<\/em>. \u201cBut it\u2019s a theory which captures the imagination and appears to answer a lot of other questions around the unique queen.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2022, academic Dr. Kit Heyam, published an essay<\/a> on Shakespeare\u2019s Globe theatre\u2019s website, in which they argued that Elizabeth might have been non-binary.<\/p>\n \u201cElizabeth I described themself regularly in speeches as \u2018king,\u2019 \u2018queen,\u2019 and \u2018prince,\u2019 choosing strategically to emphasize their female identity or their male monarchical role at different points,\u201d Heyam wrote.<\/p>\n