Culture

Trans Icon Kate Bornstein Is Still Discovering Her Nonbinary Identity


 

Kate Bornstein has developed a new cornerstone of gender theory: time.

The beloved 73-year-old trans writer and trailblazer is perhaps best known for advancing mainstream understanding of nonbinary identity through her canonical 1994 book Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us. Over two decades later, she is still pushing for more expansive conversations about the nature of gender expression.

In light of increasing acceptance of nonbinary identities, Bornstein is amplifying a new pillar of what it means to live outside of the “two-dimensional” male-female binary.

“We’ve always misunderstood that gender is a relational phenomenon,” she told The Advocate’s Jeffrey Masters in an interview on the LGBTQ&A podcast this week. “Gender depends on something else for its existence.”

Bornstein posits that the passing of time is an essential factor in the formation and evolution of identity — because gender expectations vary across cultures and as people age. “Some cultures say it depends on hormones, it depends on genitals, it depends on your mood that day. It’s still relational, and that’s what we’re missing. We’re not admitting that,” she added.

Recent developments would seem to support her theory, as many queer people came out as nonbinary and transgender after spending time exploring their identities at home during the pandemic. The Trevor Project reported earlier this month that one in four LGBTQ youth identify as nonbinary.

The past year led Bornstein to reflect on her own gender identity as well. At this point in her life, she said that she’s more interested in her own personal expression of gender than being an authoritative voice on gender.

“Part of my gender has included ‘gender theorist’ and in some cases, ‘gender icon,’ and quarantine has been letting go of that,” she said.

Nevertheless, Bornstein remains one of the leading artists and writers on gender theory. She’s published six books and delivered countless lectures on queer identity. She appeared in Caitlyn Jenner’s E! docu-series I Am Cait in 2016 and is also the subject of the 2014 documentary, Kate Bornstein Is a Queer and Pleasant Danger.

Bornstein was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2012, but she announced on her website in 2018 that she’d been cancer free for over two years.

The activist also said she struggled with suicidality into her 50s, even as she spent her career advocating for suicide prevention. Now, she’s embracing her future and enjoying life as a queer elder.

“A lot of people like what I’ve written and like how I’ve written it, and think of me as their auntie, and that feels good,” she said. “That feels good to be part of a family.”

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