Kate Bornstein
Encyclopedia
Kate Bornstein is a Jewish-American author
, playwright
, performance artist, and gender theorist.
, Bornstein studied Theater Arts with John Emigh
and Jim Barnhill at Brown University
(Class of '69). Bornstein joined the Church of Scientology 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
. According to Kate's book 'Gender Outlaw', Kate was raised a Conservative Jew.
Bornstein never felt comfortable with the belief of the day: that all trans women are "women trapped in men's bodies". 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 G&L paper, The Bay Area Reporter. 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." As of 2006, Bornstein was writing an autobiography
.
Bornstein's partner is Barbara Carrellas
, and they live in New York City
.
Bornstein's most recent book is a collaboration with S. Bear Bergman
entitled Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, performance artist, and gender theorist.
Biography
Born in Neptune City, New JerseyNeptune City, New Jersey
Neptune City is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,869.The Borough of Neptune City was incorporated on October 4, 1881, based on a referendum held on March 19, 1881...
, Bornstein studied Theater Arts with John Emigh
John Emigh
John Emigh is Professor Emeritus from the Departments of Theatre, Speech and Dance and of English at Brown University, Providence, RI. Emigh taught at Brown from 1967 to 2009.-Biography:...
and Jim Barnhill at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
(Class of '69). Bornstein joined the Church of Scientology 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
Disconnection
Disconnection, when used in Scientology, is a term used to describe the severance of all ties between a Scientologist and a friend, colleague, or family member deemed to be antagonistic towards Scientology. The practice of disconnection is a form of shunning. Among Scientologists, disconnection is...
. According to Kate's book 'Gender Outlaw', Kate was raised a Conservative Jew.
Bornstein never felt comfortable with the belief of the day: that all trans women are "women trapped in men's bodies". 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
Gender binary
The gender binary is the classification of sex and gender into two distinct and disconnected forms of masculine and feminine. It is one general type of a gender system. It can describe a social boundary that discourages people from crossing or mixing gender roles, or from creating other third ...
, 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
Sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
in 1986.
Bornstein settled into the lesbian community in San Francisco, and wrote art reviews for the G&L paper, The Bay Area Reporter. 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." As of 2006, Bornstein was writing an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
.
Bornstein's partner is Barbara Carrellas
Barbara Carrellas
Barbara Carrellas is an author, sex educator, performance artist, and certified sexologist accredited through the American College of Sexologists...
, and they live in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Bornstein's most recent book is a collaboration with S. Bear Bergman
S. Bear Bergman
S. Bear Bergman is a transgender author, poet, playwright, and theater artist. Bergman identifies as neither male nor female and prefers pronouns "ze" and "hir".-Biography:...
entitled Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation.
Books
- Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us 1994, ISBN 0-679-75701-5
- Nearly Roadkill: An Infobahn Erotic Adventure (Novel, co-authored with Caitlin Sullivan), 1996, ISBN 1-85242-418-4
- My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely 1997, ISBN 0-415-91673-9 (paperback) ISBN 0-415-91672-0 (hardcover)
- Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws, 2006, ISBN 1-58322-720-2 (note: titled Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Teen Suicide in the UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation, co-edited with S. Bear BergmanS. Bear BergmanS. Bear Bergman is a transgender author, poet, playwright, and theater artist. Bergman identifies as neither male nor female and prefers pronouns "ze" and "hir".-Biography:...
, 2010, ISBN 9781580053082
Performance Pieces
- 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
External links
- Kate Bornstein's Blog for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws
- Kate Bornstein's Speaking & Performance Touring Schedule
- tootallblondes.com Website of Kate Bornstein and Barbara Carrellas
- An Interview with Kate Bornstein and S. Bear Bergman in Herizons, 2011
- An Interview with Kate Bornstein on P.O.V.
- Official website of Hello Cruel World—Kate's latest book (2006)
- Kate Bornstein's Myspace profile
- Kate Bornstein interview on Eros-Zine.com
- Lecture given by Kate Bornstein on 01/03/2007