A Queer and Pleasant Danger

"I was born male and now I've got medical and government documents that say I'm female-but I don't call myself a woman,and I know I'm not a man. . . ." Scientologist, husband and father, tranny, sailor, slave, playwright, dyke, gender outlaw-these are just a few words which have defined Kate Bornstein during her extraordinary life. For the first time, it all comes together in A Queer and Pleasant Danger, Kate Bornstein's stunningly original memoir that's set to change lives and enrapture readers. Wickedly funny and disarmingly honest, this is Bornstein's most intimate book yet. With wisdom, wit, and an unwavering resolution to tell the truth ("I must not tell lies"), Bornstein shares her story: from a nice Jewish boy growing up in New Jersey to a strappingly handsome lieutenant of the Church of Scientology's Sea flagship vessel, and later to 1990s Seattle, where she becomes a rising star in the lesbian community. In between there are wives and lovers, heartbreak and triumph, bridges mended and broken, and a journey of self-discovery that will mesmerize readers.

Kate Bornstein is a performance artist and playwright who has authored several award-winning books, including Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and The Rest of Us, My Gender Workbook, and Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws. She has earned two citations of honor from the New York City Council and garnered praise from civil rights groups around the globe. Kate lives in New York City with her girlfriend, three cats, two dogs, and a turtle.

Prologue: The Kiss of Death

Part 1
Chapter 1. Go
Chapter 2. The He-Man Woman-Hater’s Club
Chapter 3. What Sex Had to Do with It
Chapter 4. Size Matters
Chapter 5. A SciFi Writer, an Actor, and God Walk into a Bar

Part 2
Chapter 6. There’s Nothing Funny about Any of This
Chapter 7. Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
Chapter 8. Love Was Never Free
Chapter 9. Beached
Chapter 10. Family Man
Chapter 11. All Good Things

Part 3
Chapter 12. The Lost Boys
Chapter 13. Over the Borderline
Chapter 14. Stages of Life
Chapter 15. OK, Kid, This Is Where It Gets Complicated
Chapter 16. Girl

Epilogue: Hello, Sweetie

Some Notes on My Scientology Sources
Acknowledgments