Gender Outlaw Kate Bornstein Moves Audience

Self-proclaimed “Gender Outlaw” Kate Bornstein received many laughs and tears throughout her recent talk at UW-Milwaukee and even provoked an outburst by several attendees, which led to their removal.

Bornstein, who spoke in the Union Ballroom on Oct. 30, explained to the audience of around 100 about her struggle with lung cancer and how the tour marks her first time on the road in two years because of her diagnosis. Her talk was called “Men, Women, and the Rest of Us.

She was very well received and the audience listened intently to her different readings and stories from works published in The New York Times and numerous other publications. Her works focused on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, plus ( LGBT+) community, the LGBT+ lifestyle.

Bornstein used a lot of comedy to talk about her experiences and provoked a lot of laughter in the audience. She also reinforced the hardships many endure being open about their LGBT+ lifestyles and other more serious pieces left people emotional.

During one of her monologues, Bornstein got a reaction she wasn’t expecting when an audience member interrupted by yelling and arguing against some of her statements. Audience member Matthew Miller expressed many of their disagreements on the subjects of binary reinforcement and essentialism with a few choice words.

“You’re old! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Miller said.

Miller and two others were escorted out of the event soon after. A lengthy discussion took place outside the ballroom with event staff on reasons behind the outburst.

Event staff members said the interruption was disrespectful and untimely, and that interruptions of campus events can lead to people being asked to leave them, per union policy.

Miller and the other two cooperated and recognized the reason for their removal, stating that they didn’t realize there was going to be a Q & A portion of the event. They would have waited until the end of the event to discuss their argument if they had known.

Miller, who identifies as a non-gender, said, “I couldn’t take it anymore; Kate’s reinforcement of the gender binary and essentialism is hypocritical because she identifies as a non-gender and even looks down on those who identify with the binary. Many see her as a spokesperson for those outside of the LGBT+ community, and she is enforcing false ideas. She is not a scholar of LGBT+ studies, and many don’t understand that.”

Miller said that while a fan of Bornstein, they (Miller) just got upset and had to disagree with the statements of Bornstein, stating that her lecture was “harmful.”

The talk went on, indeed, to the Q & A portion, and many people had things to say. Two people got very emotional when explaining their situations and appeared to appreciate the advice Bornstein offered.

At the end of the event, the event staff who handled the interruption explained to Bornstein and the audience the reason the three gave for their outbreak and that they may have misinterpreted Bornstein’s lessons.

Bornstein responded by saying:

“I’m amazed! They were against the binary, and they had issues with me? This is new to me.”

When asked about the event, audience member Micah Truan, a member of the LGBT+ community, said, “I knew of Kate Bornstein because I read her book while I was still in the closet; it helped me in my transition, and I could relate what Kate said in her ‘Mother’s Monologue’ to struggles with my parents during my transition.”

Truan also responded to questions about the interruption.

“I think they just didn’t understand and if they listened and asked politely during Q and A, dialogue between them and Kate could have been productive,” Truan said.

When asked about reasons for attending the event, audience member Hannah Flannery said she read about Bornstein in her Intro to Women’s Studies class and her professor recommended attending the event.