Michelangelo Signorile
Kate Bornstein, Transgender Writer And Activist, Discusses Life In And Exit From The Church Of Scientology
Posted: 05/05/2012 9:48 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/05/kate-bornstein-transgender-scientology_n_1483590.htmlThe groundbreaking transgender writer, activist and performance artist Kate Bornstein, speaking about her experiences in the Church of Scientology in 1970s, which she entered to suppress her gender identity, described in detail how she rose through the church's ranks and worked directly for the church's controversial founder and leader, the late L. Ron Hubbard.
Scientology has long been known as an antigay church which draws in many gay, lesbian and bisexual people attempting to suppress their sexual orientation. Bornstein's is the first high-profile story of a transgender person detailing an experience within Scientology. She spent 12 years in the church, married twice during that time, and had a daughter, Jessica, before leaving and seeking gender confirmation. Bornstein was excommunicated from the church, which instructed her daughter, still a Scientologist, not to have any contact her. Now 64 years old, Bornstein has not seen her daughter in 30 years.
