Celebrating Queer Culture, Transgender Voices: Outspoken New York

As the Bush administration attempts to ban gay marriage and enshrine discrimination in the US Constitution, award-winning authors, spoken word poets, and performance artists will be speaking out at Outspoken New York, an event celebrating National Coming Out Day and queer culture.  Especially honoring the contributions of transgender writers and activists, Outspoken 2004 features noted transgender writers and performance artists Kate Bornstein, Leslie Feinberg, and Andrea Jenkins as well as the spoken word artist Gregory King and Caribbean poet Cheryl Boyce Taylor.   All those reading are members of the NWU. The reading is being held September 28th at 7pm at the Housing Works Used Book Store Café at 126 Crosby Street (off Houston). It is free and sponsored by the National Writers Union (UAW 1981) along with the New School Graduate Writing Program, Housing Works, Pride at Work (AFL-CIO), and the Publishing Triangle. Refreshments and a book signing will follow the reading. To download a flyer for the reading, go to http://www.nwu.org/div/OutWrite%20Poster%202004.pdf  .

National Coming Out Day was created in the aftermath of a 1987 march on Washington for the rights of all gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual individuals' existence. Almost 20 years later, the National Writers Union celebrates National Coming Out Day to mark the contributions of queer writers in American culture and to remember that, regardless of our sexual orientation or gender identity, it still takes courage to “come out” against censorship and discrimination. Leslie Feinberg, one of this year’s performers and a member of the NWU Queer Caucus Steering Committee, comments, “There’s never been a more important moment to speak out against war, racism, and oppression. I’m proud that my union is helping our voices to be heard.”  

Outspoken New York is an annual event organized by the National Writers Union (UAW 1981) which has a long history of supporting lesbian, gay, bi and transgender rights. The union’s Queer Caucus works to see the inclusion and representation of LGBT writers in the publishing industry and organizes forums and events to support queer authors. NWU Senior Organizer, Dian Killian, comments, “We’re proud of the LGBT writers who are members of the NWU. As illustrated by Outspoken New York, the NWU includes some of the most prominent queer authors writing in the U.S. today.” For more about the NWU Queer Caucus, visit http://www.nwu.org/div/queer_caucus.htm .

Killian adds that the union is also pleased to support Housing Works, an organization which provides job training, housing, medical availability and counseling for people living with HIV/AIDS.  All books and refreshments sold at Outspoken will directly benefit Housing Works and the services they offer.  

The National Writers Union (UAW 1981) is the trade union for freelance writers of all genres who work for U.S. publishers or employers. The NWU is committed to improving the economic and working conditions of freelance writers through the collective strength of our 4000 members in 17 local chapters throughout the country. The National Writers Union is affiliated with the United Automobile Workers (UAW) and through them with the AFL-CIO. For more about the NWU, visit www.nwu.org.  

Outspoken New York 2004 Performer Bios: Kate Bornstein is a celebrated author/performance who was born male, underwent a gender change to become a woman and now identifies 'hirself'  as neither man nor female. Hir extremely celebrated work that explores the dramatic changes involved with transsexuality include Gender Outlaw: On  Men, Women And The Rest Of Us along with My Gender Workbook. In an interview in Enlightenment Magazine, Kate commented that "the most  important freedom is the freedom to express my harmless values, and values are tied to identities. You're not allowed the freedom to express your  values other than in an identity that the culture agrees you have". Ze currently lives in San Francisco with hir partner, performance artist Barbara  Carrellas.  

Activist and feminist Leslie Feinberg is a pioneer in the lesbian, gay and transgender community for refusing to use an 'accepted' male or female pronoun to identify 'hirself'. Ze drew from hir personal experiences as a transgender and cumulated them into the cult fictional novel Stone Butch Blues. Recently, Leslie has published a “who's who” in trans history, Transgender Warriors. A national leader of the Workers World Party and a member of the NWU Queer Caucus Steering Committee, Leslie believes "when we talk about fighting for sex and gender liberation, these are trans issues and lesbian/bi issues. The right of individuals to control their own bodies. The right to self-definition."

Andrea Jenkins is an award-winning poet and has served for six years on District 202's community center for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth in north Minneapolis. Andrea was born biologically male and has been living as a woman since 1992. She has performed at events and venues including Patrick's Cabaret, genderBLUR, and Amazon Bookstore Co-op. Representing an African American transgender woman and committing to her political ideal, Andrea believes that "you have to be authentic. Coming out and committing to [her] own identity, was an intimate part of [her] political development."

Gregory King is a dynamic and spirited spoken word poet from Tennessee who performs nationally, including in New York City, at venues such as Bluestockings Bookstore and Café. His rhythmic work casts a sharp eye on US politics and culture from the perspective of a young, gay, black artist, writer, and activist.

Born in Trinidad, Cheryl Boyce Taylor is a poet, visual and a teaching artist. A recipient of the Partners in Writing Grant, she served as the Poet in  Residence during the 2003 season at the Caribbean Literary and Cultural  Center in Brooklyn. Cheryl's poems have been anthologized in publications  including Def Poetry Jam's Bum Rush The Page, Poetry Nation, and Aloud: Voices From The Nuyorican Poets Café. One review from Lips Magazine  praises Cheryl's work, stating she is "an acrobat of poetry- leaping in dazzling, daring moves from poignant family poems to highly charged sensual poems.”