Kate Bornstein

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Kate Bornstein
Kate Bornstein2010.jpg
Kate Bornstein at Babeland in Seattle in December 2010
Born (1948-03-15) March 15, 1948 (age 65)
Neptune City, New Jersey, U.S.
Residence New York City
Occupation Performance artist
Religion Jewish
Website
katebornstein.typepad.com

Katherine Vandam "Kate" Bornstein[1] (born March 15, 1948) is an American author, playwright, performance artist, and gender theorist. Having been born male and then receiving gender reassignment surgery in 1986, Bornstein says, "I don't call myself a woman, and I know I'm not a man".[2] Bornstein has also written about having anorexia, being a survivor of PTSD and being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.[3] Kate has chronic lymphocytic leukemia and in September 2012 was diagnosed with lung cancer.[4]

Kate and partner Barbara Carrellas live in New York City with three cats, two dogs and a turtle.[5]

Contents

Biography [edit]

Pre-Transition life [edit]

Born in Neptune City, New Jersey, into a middle-class Conservative Jewish family of Russian and Dutch descent,[6] Bornstein studied Theater Arts with John Emigh and Jim Barnhill at Brown University (Class of '69). Bornstein joined the Church of Scientology, became a high ranking lieutenant in the Sea Org[7][8][9] but later became disillusioned and formally left the movement in 1981. Bornstein's antagonism toward Scientology and public split from the church have had personal consequences; Bornstein's daughter, herself a Scientologist, no longer has any contact with Bornstein per Scientology's policies.[10]

Transition and post-op [edit]

Bornstein never felt comfortable with the belief of the day: that all trans women are "women trapped in men's bodies."[11] Bornstein did not identify as a man, but the only other option of the day was to be a woman, a reflection of the gender binary, which required people to identify according to only two available genders. Another block in Bornstein's path was the fact that Bornstein was attracted to women. Bornstein had sex reassignment surgery in 1986.

Bornstein settled into the lesbian community in San Francisco, and wrote art reviews for the gay and lesbian paper The Bay Area Reporter.[12] Over the next few years, Bornstein began to identify as neither a man nor a woman. This catapulted Bornstein back to performing, creating several performance pieces, some of them one-person shows. It was the only way Bornstein knew how to communicate life's paradoxes.

Bornstein also teaches workshops and has published several gender theory books, and a novel. Hello Cruel World, was written to derail "teens, freaks, and other outlaws" from committing suicide. "Do whatever it takes to make your life more worth living," Bornstein writes, "just don't be mean."

Cancer Diagnosis [edit]

In August 2012, Bornstein was diagnosed with lung cancer. Doctors thought that she was cured after having surgery but it emerged in February that the disease had returned. Laura Vogel, a friend of Bornstein's, launched a Go Fund Me campaign on March 20th to help fund her treatment.[13]

Works [edit]

In 1989 Bornstein created a theatre production in collaboration with Noreen Barnes, Hidden: A Gender, based on parallels between Bornstein's own life and that of the intersex person Herculine Barbin.[14] Bornstein edited Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation in collaboration with S. Bear Bergman.[15] The anthology won Lambda Literary and Publishing Triangle Awards in 2011.[16] [17] Bornstein's autobiography, titled A Queer and Pleasant Danger: A Memoir, was released May 2012, and Bornstein is currently working on an updated edition of My Gender Workbook. [18] [19]

Books [edit]

  • Bornstein, Kate (1994). Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us. New York City: Routledge. ISBN 0679757015. 
  • Sullivan, Caitlin; Bornstein, Kate (1996). Nearly Roadkill: An Infobahn Erotic Adventure. New York City: High Risk Books. ISBN 1852424184. 
  • Bornstein, Kate (1998). My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely. Illustrations by Diane DiMassa. New York City: Routledge. ISBN 0415916720. 
  • Bornstein, Kate (2006). Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws. New York: Seven Stories Press. ISBN 9781583227206. 
  • Bornstein, Kate; Bergman, S. Bear, eds. (2010). Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation. Berkeley, California: Seal Press. ISBN 9781580053082. 
  • Bornstein, Kate (2012). A Queer and Pleasant Danger: A Memoir. Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 9780807001653.  The portrait-film, "Kate Bornstein is a Queer & Pleasant Danger" by Sam Feder will be released in January 2014

Performance Pieces [edit]

  • Kate Bornstein Is a Queer and Pleasant Danger
  • The Opposite Sex Is Neither
  • Virtually Yours
  • Hidden: A Gender
  • Strangers in Paradox
  • y2kate: gender virus 2000
  • Hard Candy
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

References [edit]

  1. ^ Bornstein, Kate (5 May 2012). "My Scientology excommunication". Salon.com. Retrieved 2012-05-06. 
  2. ^ Bornstein, Kate (2012). A Queer and Pleasant DangerZ: A Memoir. Beacon Press. pp. II. ISBN 9780807001660. 
  3. ^ Bornstein, Kate (2012). A Queer and Pleasant DangerZ: A Memoir. Beacon Press. pp. II. ISBN 9780807001660. 
  4. ^ Bornstein, Kate. "Bad News and Wonderful News". Kate Bornstein's Blog. Retrieved Feb 2013. 
  5. ^ Piechota, Jim (08.09.2012). "Surviving Scientology". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved Feb 2013. 
  6. ^ "Kate Bornstein's Gender and Genre Bending". LGBT Jewish Heroes. Retrieved 2012-11-04. 
  7. ^ ""A Queer and Pleasant Danger": Kate Bornstein, Trans Scientology Survivor". Retrieved August 27, 2012.  Text " Mother Jones " ignored (help)
  8. ^ "No Longer At Sea: Kate Bornstein Talks Scientology". Retrieved August 27, 2012.  Text " (A)theologies " ignored (help); Text " Religion Dispatches " ignored (help)
  9. ^ "A Queer and Pleasant Danger by Kate Bornstein – Powell's Books". Retrieved August 27, 2012. 
  10. ^ Moore, David. "Kate Bornstein to perform at UNC-Charlotte". Retrieved 2009-06-12. 
  11. ^ Bornstein, Kate (1994). Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us. Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 0415908973. 
  12. ^ Piechota, Jim (08.09.2012). "Surviving Scientology". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved Feb 2013. 
  13. ^ Morgan, Glennisha (22/3/2013). "Kate Bornstein, Transgender Activist And Theorist, Receives Support For Cancer Fundraiser". Huffington Post. 
  14. ^ "Kate Bornstein's Gender and Genre Bending". LGBT Jewish Heroes. Retrieved 2012-11-04. 
  15. ^ "Interview with S. Bear Bergman". Genderfork. 2009-10-29. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
  16. ^ "Triangle Awards: Kate Bornstein". Out-FM. 2011-05-06. Retrieved 2012-02-22. 
  17. ^ "Glam Meets Identity Politics at Lammys: Literary awards fête Edward Albee, Val McDermid; feature Stefanie Powers". Gay City News. June 10, 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 
  18. ^ Bornstein, Kate (January 19, 2012). "Please Help Me Update My Gender Workbook". Kate Bornstein's Blog for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 
  19. ^ "A Queer and Pleasant Danger". Amazon Listing. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 

External links [edit]

Authority control
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