Armie Hammer came to the defense of Broadway co-star Kate Bornstein after a transphobic person in the audience reportedly booed and shouted, “You’re not welcome here,” during a performance last week.
Hammer and Bornstein are making their Broadway debuts in “Straight White Men,” which opened July 23 at New York’s Helen Hayes Theatre. Written by Young Jean Lee, the comedy-drama follows three brothers (Hammer, Josh Charles and Paul Schneider), who return to their childhood home to spend Christmas with their widowed father (Stephen Payne).
Bornstein, who identifies as a non-binary femme-identified transgender person and uses the personal pronouns “they” and “them,” stars as one of two “Persons in Charge,” commenting on the action throughout the play, which takes a satirical look at heteronormativity and masculinity.
During the Aug. 8 performance, a woman reportedly shouted, “You’re not welcome here!” at Bornstein as they delivered their first line at the start of the show. The heckler and a male companion also reportedly booed loudly while Bornstein was on stage.
Immediately following the performance, Hammer responded on Twitter.
Shortly after that, Charles retweeted Hammer’s comment, and made a suggestion of his own to the heckler:
Bornstein, meanwhile, wrote in a Aug. 9 Facebook post that they were “deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support” from co-stars and fans.
Describing “Straight White Men” as ”a great work of art,” Bornstein added: “Great art does upset people. It happens all the time ... I’m more than ever proud to be part of this show.”
Bornstein, 70, is a historic figure in the LGBTQ community. Their work as an artist and activist includes the 1994 book Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us, as well as the performance pieces “Kate Bornstein Is a Queer and Pleasant Danger” and “The Opposite Sex Is Neither.”
