Bornstein, Kate

Katherine Vandam “Kate” Bornstein is a writer, performer, and early influencer of the trans liberation movement in North America. Through her artistic contributions, Bornstein advanced trans awareness and the popular understanding of gender fluidity. Her best-known work is the 1994 book Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us, which was also the title she used for talks on college campuses across North America for the following two decades. Bornstein’s work stood as a counterpoint to early narratives of trans respectability politics, as she spoke and wrote openly about her queer identity, her participation in the BDSM community, her eating disorder, her involvement with Scientology and subsequent exploration of Buddhism, and her unmistakably queer look and politics. Her career has been marked by ...