I know this because RJ told me so. I attended the signing for KoD in New York, and I asked him two questions there. The first was rather frivolous, and his expression said so. I recovered from mild embarrassment, and my second question went better: I asked him whether the Dragon, in all those turnings of the wheel, is ever a woman. RJ had a look on his face as if he'd never really considered it, then finally said "yes."

I never passed on the info because I didn't know that it would matter to anyone else. I'm an egalitarian - which means I'm also a feminist - so it was something that I really wanted to know. I didn't want to slow the line or RJ down, so I didn't ask more questions about that point. Still, there are some conclusions that can be drawn: if the Dragon is not exclusively a man, perhaps there is no unending line of reincarnated male Dragons, all leading up to our current Rand; if there is such an unending line, then "male" souls can be reincarnated as women; also saidar must occasionally be the Power that gets tainted.

For my part, I've been very happy to read a series where the gender roles are so neatly reversed, especially the series' allusions to "original sin." (Though in this case, it was still a woman who brought "evil" into the world) I hope this was of interest to someone else...