Trans performer Kate Bornstein shuts down Broadway heckler in moving Facebook post
<> at Hayes Theater on July 23, 2018 in New York City.
Trans performer and activist Kate Bornstein has spoken out about being heckled at the performance of the Broadway play “Straight White Men” on Wednesday.
In a Facebook post, Bornstein wrote: “It’s true what people are saying: a woman, in response to my opening line of the show, ‘Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and the rest of us’ called out from the audience ‘You’re not welcome here’.”
The heckler was reportedly not removed from the theatre, according to another audience member Amy Spiegel.
“Was sitting right behind her and her husband—they were also both booing loudly. It was terrible, and they didn’t get kicked out,” Spiegel wrote on Twitter, adding that others nearby told them to be quiet.
Bornstein responded that the heckler “could not have been more wrong” in her moving Facebook post.
Bornstein thanked people for their support (Facebook)
“The cast, crew, and company of ‘Straight White Men’ have been warm, welcoming, and inclusive of me and the other trans actors in the show, Ty Defoe and T.L. Thompson,” she wrote.
“The production company, Second Stage Theater, have only expressed delight in welcoming us aboard. And the staff of the Helen Hayes Theater could not be more welcoming — we all of us give and receive nightly hugs.
“So, I don’t know who she thought she was talking about when she claimed that I’m not welcome. I was not shamed by her. I was puzzled. What could have caused this woman’s outburst?”
(L-R) Kate Bornstein, Stephen Payne, Josh Charles, Paul Schneider and Armie Hammer at the opening night of Straight White Men in New York (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Bornstein said she had been “chewing” over that thought, adding: “The best I can come up with is that one of her children or grandchildren has gone through a gender transition that troubled her greatly, to the point that she just boiled over when I took the stage.”
“Look, ‘Straight White Men’ is a great work of art. And great art does upset people. It happens all the time. Please know that I’m not upset, or afraid. I’m more than ever proud to be part of this show.”
Other stars of “Straight White Men” took to social media to show their support for Bornstein.
Actor Armie Hammer wrote on Twitter: “To the woman in our audience who felt it was appropriate to yell, ‘You’re not welcome here!’ at Kate Bornstein, our beloved friend, co-worker, and now family member….. Feel free never to come back.”
