From No Gender Left Behind:
"Growing up, I had a boy's name, boy's clothing, had my hair in a buzz cut every summer for years, wore swimming trunks to the pool or the beach, had a Bar Mitzvah, played on the boys' teams after school, changed in the boys' locker room, wore a suit and tie to important family occasions, lived in the boys' section of the dorm at college...
Looking through old photo albums, it's clear - boy, boy, boy.
I wanted a girl's name, girl's clothing, to have my hair long and flowing, to wear a girl's swimming suit, to have a Bat Mitzvah, to play on the girls' teams after school, to change in the girls' locker room, to wear skirts and dresses to important family occasions, to live in the girls' section of the dorm at college...
I'm not sure how to reconcile those lists. To own up to my history outs me as trans and brings up a long stretch of time - the first twenty or so years of my life - that's at odds with how I see myself now. When I talk with people about Judaism, do I acknowledge my Bar Mitzvah and out myself, or do I say I had a Bat Mitzvah and rewrite part of my life? When an acquaintance talks about buying suits or ties, do I chime in with memories of my experiences, or do I stay silent? Do I ask my parents to take down pictures from the first two decades of my life? To wipe clean the time before I was 22 or 23? To cover the mirrors which reflect the parts of myself I don't always want to remember, don't always want to see?
I want to transform, from who I was, to who I want to be."
Transgender artist and educator Rebecca Kling has performed her spoken word material around the country, receiving praise from Time Out Chicago, The Chicago Tribune, and more Now, for the first time, a collection of many of the pieces which gave rise to her solo performances.
This collection includes storytelling, poetry, a transitioning mikveh, the weather forecast for gender identity, orgasm graphs, autobiographical material, and more.
For more information on Rebecca Kling, visit www.rebeccakling.com and http: //fridaythang.com/blog
About the Author: Rebecca Kling is a transgender artist and educator who explores gender and identity through solo pieces and educational workshops. Her multidisciplinary performances incorporate conversational storytelling, personal narrative, humor, movement, video projection, and more. Kling takes the position that sharing accessible queer narrative with a wide audience is a form of activism, and that understanding combats bigotry. Rebecca has performed her material in nine states and at over a dozen festivals. Some highlights include Chicago (The Athenaeum Theatre, Temple Gallery, Links Hall, About Face Theatre, Center on Halsted, the DCA Storefront Theatre, and more), the 2010, 2011, and 2012 Chicago Fringe Festivals, the 2011 and 2012 Kansas City and Indianapolis Fringe Festivals, San Bernardino, California, and elsewhere. Rebecca has received praise from The Chicago Tribune, TimeOut Chicago, Newcity Stage, and Centerstage Chicago, and more. Rebecca regularly speaks at high schools and universities, including Northwestern University, Columbia College, Roosevelt University, Loyola University, Harold Washington College, Butler University, Smith College, Bucknell University, and elsewhere. She has been a recipient of the Chances Dances Critical Fierceness grant, an Illinois Arts Council Grant, and Chicago Community Artists Assistance Program funding. Rebecca's writing has been published at Jezebel, in Chicago IRL issues 1 and 2, Bodies of Work, the Center for Classic Theatre Review, and elsewhere. For a behind-the-scenes look at her writing process, check out her blog at http: //fridaythang.com/blog A graduate from Northwestern University's Department of Performance Studies with an Adjunct Major in Animate Arts, Rebecca Kling is also an instructor at the Piven Theatre Workshop and on the Pride Films and Plays board of director. Visit Rebecca online: Artist website - www.RebeccaKling.com Blog - http: //fridaythang.com/blog Twitter: @RebeccaKling Facebook: facebook.com/RebeccaKlingChicago
