Interview with Kate Bornstein

Meet Kate Bornstein: the trailblazing gender outlaw who rewrote the rules and then tossed out the rulebook entirely. A luminous presence in queer culture for nearly four decades, Kate is a performance artist, author, and all-around boundary-breaker who has never stopped evolving, both in art and in self. Born in New Jersey in 1948, Kate's life has taken her from Brown University to the ranks of Scientology’s Sea Org, from the stages of San Francisco's radical theatre scene to Broadway, and from a binary world to the beautifully non-binary space she now claims as her own. Known for her wit, vulnerability, and fierce compassion, Kate has built a life that dares to make room for contradiction: she is both survivor and sage, both punk and philosopher, both wounded and wildly alive. Her landmark works, like Gender Outlaw, Hello, Cruel World, and My New Gender Workbook, have offered lifelines to generations of gender-expansive youth and anyone dancing at the edges of what society tells us is “real.”

 

In Kate’s world, gender is a game, love is a revolution, and kindness is non-negotiable. Whether she’s writing about surviving PTSD, challenging the church of Scientology, or caring for her many pets in New York City with her partner Barbara Carrellas, Kate reminds us that a life lived authentically is not always easy, but it can be dazzling. Even now, Kate’s voice rings clear as ever, playful, defiant, and deeply humane. In an age when debates over identity grow ever louder, she offers something quieter but more radical: permission. Permission to be messy, to be unfinished, to laugh through heartbreak and find hope at the margins. Interviewing Kate feels less like meeting a legend and more like coming home to someone who sees you, fully, joyfully, and without apology. In this conversation, Kate brings her signature mix of sparkle, honesty, and rebellion. We talk about love, loss, gender, aging, healing, and the magic of staying curious. It’s not just an interview, it’s a dialogue with someone who has cracked open the world for so many of us and left the light on.

Interview with Galen

Galen is a woman of quiet strength, fierce intellect, and deep reflection. At 29, she began the tender and transformative journey of transitioning, stepping into her truth with both courage and thoughtfulness. Through her writing on Trans Substantiation, a beautifully curated space where philosophy meets lived experience, Galen offers readers more than just personal reflections. She invites them into meaningful conversations about identity, embodiment, and the intricacies of gender. Her early transition years were marked by hesitation and internal struggle, a pattern many in the trans community will recognize: the cycle of coming out, retreating, and reckoning with the pain of repression. 

 

But once she stepped fully into herself, with the support of her loving wife, she found not only affirmation but a sense of home in her own body and mind. Beyond the screen, Galen is a mother, a partner, a cyclist, and a thinker. Whether she’s writing about gender theory, laughing with her son Kellan before bedtime, or pedaling with the Trans National Women’s Cycling Team, her life is a testament to authenticity and love in action. She’s not chasing conventional beauty or fame, only honesty, clarity, and the quiet joy of being understood. In this conversation, Galen shares her journey with disarming honesty, balancing political insight with personal warmth. Her story reminds us that while transition may be one chapter, it is not the whole book, and that the most profound transformations often begin in the quiet bravery of self-acceptance.

Interview with Juliet

Monika: Today’s interview will be with Juliet, a transgender woman that started transitioning after discovering herself in sensory isolation. She is a prominent figure in the float tank industry and has regularly documented her transition through her blog as well as on Reddit under her username, jungletigress. Hello Juliet!

Juliet: Hi. Thanks for interviewing me.

Monika: Could you say a few words about yourself?

Juliet: I’m a 31-year old trans woman and activist. I came out to myself in a float tank during an intensely introspective session. We’re being pulled into the limelight right now and I think that education is hugely important for trans people that feel comfortable enough in that role. I’m currently organizing my local pride event where I will host a booth letting people “Ask a Trans Person Anything.”