I
first met author and transgender activist Kate Bornstein in Atlanta about
10 years ago when she was in town for a reading and signing of “Gender
Outlaw.” I’d read the book and found it to be the most humorous
and thought-provoking piece of work I’d ever encountered on gender-related
issues — so I didn’t want to miss the chance to hear her
speak.
When she stepped up to the podium wearing a long black overcoat, a scarf
decorated with tiny little skulls and Frankenstein-style platform shoes,
it was clear Bornstein was no run-of-the-mill tranny. Most of the MTF transgender
individuals I’ve known always tried their hardest to be as feminine
as humanly possible.
Here was Kate — cool as could be — just being Kate. No exotic
name that sounded like a “Dynasty” character: Britney, Alexis
or Desiree. No sequin gowns or five-inch false eyelashes. She was definitely
a unique individual. I liked her immediately.
I managed to pull together a handful of friends and local personalities
I knew at the time and put on a small reception for her at a club following
the reading — and we’ve maintained a long-distance friendship
since then. Years have gone by sometimes when I haven’t spoken with
Kate — but we always seem to pick up wherever we left off.
Bornstein will be in Charlotte on Saturday, May 13 to speak at the Southeastern
Regional Conference for LGBT youth and allies.
She’s the keynote speaker for the afternoon lunch at the Best Western
(12:30–2 p.m.) and she’ll also take the helm for an afternoon
workshop (3:30–4:45 p.m.).
I spoke with her by phone from an airport in Seattle while she was waiting
for her return flight to New York.
“I had a gig at Pierston University College in Tacoma,” Kate
explains. “The students at this school don’t have a lot of
access to gender studies, so they brought me in. I did a kind of ‘Gender
101’ thing.”
Bornstein is widely known and respected as an author and speaker on gender-related
issues. That’s why I couldn’t help but ask her why she seems
to be shifting her focus of expertise with her latest book, “Hello
Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws.”
“I’ve been doing this touring stuff with college kids for a
dozen years or so and everywhere I go I would hear stories of kids having
a hard time and thinking about suicide,” says Bornstein. “After
9/11 happened I went into this deep depression and I couldn’t decide
what I wanted to write about next. I’ve been writing specifically
about gender topics for so long and I was ready to try something else.
“Then it dawned on me a couple of years ago that I really wanted
to do something on teen suicide. I struggled with that, though, because
I had to ask myself, what made me qualified to write this kind of book?
After a lot of thought I realized the exact reason why I was qualified — because
I survived and I stayed alive.”
Probably because Bornstein is one of those unique, edgy individuals, she
shares a sort of kinship with many teens trying to define their own identity.
Her book is aimed not just at LGBT teens, but all the other different young
people out there feeling pressure from a judgmental world.
“I’ve read the statistics before,” says Bornstein. “LGBT
teens account for 30 percent of teen suicide rates. But there’s also
that other 70 percent out there. I’m hoping my work will reach them
and help them, too.”
The description of Kate’s book from Amazon reads as follows:
“Hello, Cruel World” features a catalog of 101 Alternatives
to Suicide that range from the playful (Moisturize), to the irreverent
(Disbelieve the Binary), to the highly controversial (Get Laid. Please).
Designed to encourage readers to give themselves permission to unleash
their hearts’ harmless desires, the book has only one directive: “Don’t
be mean.” It is this guiding principle that brings its reader on
a self-validating journey, which forges wholly new paths toward a resounding
decision to choose life.
Even though Kate’s not a teen anymore, she confirms that as a transgender
individual she still experiences situations reminiscent of the kinds of
hate speech and discrimination teens endure from their peers.
“Sure I do,” she says. “If somebody clocks me as a tranny
and I’m walking down the street, they’ll scream things at me
like ‘hey mister!’ It’s not pleasant. I don’t enjoy
it.
“For teens dealing with bullying on any level it can be traumatizing.”
After looking over an early galley of her book I’ve come to the conclusion
that it’s definitely worthwhile reading for just about anyone regardless
of your emotional state or age. It’s uplifting, funny — and
like Kate — insightful.
For more information on Kate Bornstein visit www.tootallblondes.com.
— David Moore
Editor
David Moore Editor
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