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By Rebecca, June 20, 2011 4:49 pm

Another excerpt from the No Gender Left Behind script. Posted because today I’m feeling down, and this was written when I wasn’t.

There was about a ten year gap between when I first came out to my parents as a teenager and when I started living full-time as Rebecca in my early twenties. When I came out to my parents, said those terrifying words, “I think I want to be a girl,” they didn’t reject me. My mom said, “We’ll love you no matter what.” My dad, “We’ll love you whatever you are, as long as you’re not a Republican.”But having their love didn’t mean they understood. During those ten years between coming out and really transitioning, I asked my parents – I asked just about everyone in my life, really – to rethink how gender works. To join me in saying gender isn’t simply what the doctor cries out at the birth of a child: “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!”

And, to be honest, I’ve had to rethink gender myself. It was a leap to go from “I want to be a girl” or “I wish I were a girl” to “I can be a girl” and, eventually, “I am a girl.” Putting all this gender stuff together has been tough for me, too, even though sometimes I pretend it’s not.

Continue reading 'What’s there to riot about?'»

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By Rebecca, June 12, 2011 8:07 pm

I’m about to launch another Kickstarter campaign (for gas money to KC and Indy) and was hoping for suggestions and ideas on the donation rewards. Here’s what I have so far:

$1 - You will receive a special Thank You in the show program for ‘No Gender Left Behind’

$15 – I will send you POSTCARDS from Kansas City, Indianapolis, AND Chicago, PLUS the all of the above.

$35 - A BEHIND THE SCENES video from the rehearsal process, PLUS all of the above.

$50 - TWO FREE TICKETS to No Gender Left Behind at any point during the tour, PLUS all of the above.

$75 - A ROAD TRIP PHONE CALL from the side of the road between Chicago and Kansas City or Chicago and Indianapolis (your choice) PLUS all of the above.

$100 - A SIGNED SHOW POSTER from No Gender Left Behind, PLUS all of the above

$250 - I will WRITE YOU A SHORT STORY on a topic or theme of your choosing, PLUS all of the above.

$500 - I will send you a personalized LEGO REBECCA of your very own, PLUS all of the above.

$1000 - I will TAKE YOU MINI-GOLFING (or Go-Karting, or whatever) the next time I’m near your home town, PLUS all of the above! There may even be pizza involved!

$2500 - Wow, you want to go all out, don’t you? The next time you are in Chicago I will TAKE YOU ON A PERSONAL TOUR OF CHICAGO, including food, sight-seeing, activities, and a scavenger hunt of my devising. PLUS all of the above!

For the last three, I’m mostly being silly. I don’t expect anyone to take me up on ‘em, but you never know! At the same time, I’m torn if the silliness takes away from the show about trans issues stemming from my being fired… Thoughts?

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By Rebecca, May 17, 2011 3:44 pm

When I think of ‘creativity,’ the idea of making lists doesn’t exactly spring to mind. Nevertheless, I recently came across two lists worth sharing. First, from the fabulous Felicia Day’s blog, 10 Simple Ways To Speed Up Your Writing (a guest post from another blogger). A few of the specifics I like are Eliminating Distractions (something I’m horrible at), using a Brain Dump to get out as many ideas as possible, and giving your self a Deadline (something I’m slowwwwwly getting better at). Most of the ideas seem applicable to lots of creative fields, not just writing, so check it out!

Then from the also-fabulous-in-very-different-ways Neo Futurists (where I recently auditioned for a chance to be in their ensemble) 25 Rules for Creating Good Theatre from the Neo’s founder Greg Allen. I love the Neo aesthetic of honest, open-handed theatre, and Greg’s list fits well within that mindset. I also want to really reflect on this list as I’m working on No Gender Left Behind, particularly points like

Rule #4: Know why you are creating this show. The piece you create must be the expression of something about which you feel very deeply. Setting out to make “good theater” is not enough. Take a strong stand – personal, political, social, artistic, – and challenge yourself to express it. Include your performers in this aim.

or

Rule #11: Create true theater. A show should never fail to answer the question “Why is this theater?”  Theater is live performers in front of a live audience. Never forget this. If your show can be put on television or turned into a movie without losing something, you have failed.

But I wanted to expand on one particular rule of Greg’s:

Continue reading 'Lists and Rules about Creativity'»

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By Rebecca, April 24, 2011 6:39 pm

Something I’m working on to use as a backdrop for a movement piece in No Gender Left Behind:

Sex Ed video 4-24-11 from Rebecca Kling on Vimeo.

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By Rebecca, April 23, 2011 7:06 pm

An open question: What does the idea of being ‘left behind’ mean to you?

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By Rebecca, April 13, 2011 10:00 pm

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, members of the press.

America is in a state of crisis. Its citizens unsafe. Its children rejected, all too often to the point of violence or death. Across our great country, people who don’t quite fit into our understanding of what it means to be a ‘man’ or a ‘woman’ are in danger. They live in our communities, attend our schools, are our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters. And they are at risk.

As they well should be.

It is with great pride that pleasure that I am able to join you here today to announce the passage of House Resolution 217, better known as No Gender Left Behind, a comprehensive plan for gender reform.

The President has asked members of congress to engage in active, bipartisan debate on how we can use the Federal Government in its role as Gender Police to bring minority or non-conforming gender roles and expressions in line with their more advantaged peers.

The result, the No Gender Left Behind Act of 2011, embodies key principals of the President’s gender reform plan: stronger accountability for non-conforming individuals, expanded education on proper gender roles, expanded support for parents to enforce proper gender roles, and an emphasis on gender conforming education which has been proven to work. Continue reading 'No Gender Left Behind'»

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By Rebecca, April 8, 2011 2:20 pm

I’m working on No Gender Left Behind right now, reading through the script I have so far and thinking about where to take it next. And I’ve hit something of a roadblock. Or, at the very least, some speedbumps. I’ve been thinking about the dangers of appropriation.

Specifically, I’m at a part in the show where I’d like to get into issues of discrimination. Of violence against trans folks. Of harassment. Rape. Murder. Of things that I – bless the gods – have only experienced peripherally, if at all.

How do I move from telling my story, to telling our story?

Continue reading 'Appropriation'»