The Red Virgin

Hildegart Rodriguez: I shall do as you request and tell you everything about myself. My name is Hildegart Rodríguez. I was born in Madrid, the 9th of December of 1914. I'm an eugenic child, that is, my mother created me for a purpose. My hair is black, my eyes are green. I'm 170 centimeters tall and weigh 70 kilograms. I have a strong constitution and I'm very healthy. I work hard, with pleasure. I'm a virgin. My mother, Aurora, is a wonderful woman, my constant companion and advisor. She's a woman with ideas so clear and strong, she would remove whatever obstacle she encounter. She intended for me to be the world's first truly free woman. As far as my intellectual life goes, at 11 months I knew the alphabet. By 22 months, I could read fluently. Before I was 3, I could write. I went to the University when I was 10, and I'm a lawyer now. I'm also using these years to study medicine. I have published 9 books. I often give lectures at the Ateneo on the sexual problem and the need for reform. My name is well-known in Spain for both my political and my literary work. It's the first time someone in this country speaks publicly of these matters, let alone a girl. When I was 3 and I learned about natural history, I learned that roses are hermaphrodite. Meaning it's both a male and a female at the same time. Our name was named Rosa and innocently I used to say: "Rosa, I'm a hermaphrodite, just like you." My colleagues in the Socialist Party affectionally called me "the red virgin." I was 17 when my mother ended my life. You may like me, but I'm not alive.