Author, activist and gender theorist Kate Bornstein has cancer.

However, there is a silver lining in this diagnosis: it is treatable.

So Bornstein's friend Laura Vogel has started a GoFundMe page to help with medical expenses.

"The treatment plan that gives Kate the best chance of beating cancer is incredibly expensive," says Vogel. "Kate has spent the past thirty years helping the rest of us Stay Alive—now it’s our turn to give back.  Let’s HELP KATE BORNSTEIN BEAT CANCER AND STAY ALIVE!"

Donations can be made in various increments, from $5 ranging all the way to $10,000. The page was created on March 20 and in less than three days has raised more than $60,000 to help pay for Bornstein's treatments.

"Kate, or Auntie Kate as so many of us affectionately call her, has helped so many people surmount the trappings of social pressure, bullying, and oppression that so often lead to suicide," Vogel writes in a blog post. "Kate has helped thousands of people choose to 'stay alive,' as she puts it. So, when she told me that she wouldn't be able to follow the treatment plan that her doctors said was her best -- and only -- hope for beating cancer, it broke my heart. I was sad, confused, and outraged. And then I remembered: we can fix this problem; we can make Kate's treatment plan financially possible."

Bornstein's book, A Queer and Pleasant Danger, tells her story of living as a Scientologist. Check out her interview with Xtra, posted in August of 2012.

Although it's too early to tell who will win this season of RuPaul's Drag Race, it is easy to see who is the most entertaining. 

I've already talked about Ms Jinkx Monsoon, but I recently discovered that someone has created a Twitter feed dedicated entirely to Alyssa Edwards' face.

Genius.

*

Speaking of genius, I recently found out that West Coast drag legend Jackie Beat is having a bit of a hard time with ill health. In fact, Beat is now in need of a double hip replacement. Beat has gone the crowd-sourcing route to help with the cost of the operation, since Beat doesn't have insurance. "I have ever given you a chuckle or made you crack a smile; please slip a little something into the brandy snifter here on mama's piano," Jackie says. You can donate by checking out their Give Forward page. 

To remind you of how awesome Jackie is, check out "Beaver."

Original Plumbing, a magazine and website started by Amos Mac and Rocco Katastrophe, is looking for some help.

The website for the magazine is no longer able to fulfill the needs of its readers and content providers, so Mac and Katastrophe have created an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for a new site, as well as those who will be working on its creation. 

OP and Amos have been featured in the pages of Xtra, and this is an opportunity to help a great publication and website, as well as the people who write for it and especially for those who read it.

Check out Amos and Rocco's video, explaining all of the deets. Give and give often!

In early December, I posted that filmmaker Bruce LaBruce was working on a new project entitled Gerontophilia. BLAB was taking the crowd-sourcing route for some of the finances for his latest project, a fundraising campaign that is ongoing.

Recently, queer blog Accidental Bear posted some stills from the production, including images of Halifax's own Walter Borden, who plays one of the main characters. Take a peek.

Bruce LaBruce is going to his fans, his friends and random people on the internet to give him what he wants.

Money.

Or at least, money for his latest project, a film called Gerontophilia.

BLAB has gone to Indiegogo to source funds for his latest project, which tells the story of a young man who falls in love with a much, much older gentleman. BLAB puts it as "Harold and Maude meets One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest."

Individuals can receive all kinds of goodies as thanks for their donations, including DVDs of the film, signed books and, if you're feeling really generous, heck you can even have dinner with BLAB.

Sold!

If you feel like you're not getting enough Bruce in your life, check out the new documentary about his life, his movies and, most importantly, him.

When Westerly Windina refers to occasions from the past, she never uses the first person, "I."

She says, "Peter did this" or "Peter was."

The Peter she speaks of is Peter Drouyn, the man who brought surfing to great heights of popularity. Peter Drouyn is the name given to Windina at birth.

Directors Alan White and Jamie Brisick are looking to Kickstarter to help them fund their film about Westerly. With the working title of Westerly: A Man, a Woman, an Enigma, the film hopes to tell the story of a person who rose to the height of their game and then almost disappeared.

According to the Kickstarter website, in 2002 Windina, then still living as Peter, almost drowned:

"It was a supernova," said Westerly. "It just kicked in one night, and suddenly Peter went, Westerly was there."

Check out the trailer for an idea of who Drouyn was, and who Windina is. 

Maximumrocknroll magazine recently published a small blurb about Sarah Kirsch, a transgender woman who has been an integral part of the Bay Area punk scene for decades. Her contributions to such bands as Pinhead Gunpowder, Bread and Circuits, Please Inform the Captain This Is a Hijack, and my personal favourite (at least in name) Mothercountry Motherfuckers. Unfortunately, Kirsch is currently fighting Fanconi anemia -- a rare genetic disorder that causes leukemia and other cancers.

In light of this, an online fund has been set up to help pay for medical expenses. I'm a big fan of crowd sourcing for funds, as it allows everyone from family and friends to fans to contribute. I've mentioned them before here on Down East, from S Bear Bergman's children's book to documentaries about Puerto Rico's drag and trans communities. So check this one out, especially if you're a fan of Bay Area punk. Or even if you just have five bucks to spare. Do it up.

Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles want to make a movie, and they need your help.

Santini and Sickles are working on a documentary called Mala Mala, which tells the story of a group of young drag performers and transsexual and transgender individuals living in Puerto Rico. To help fund the making of this project, the duo have turned to Kickstarter, a crowd-sourcing webpage that allows people to donate funds to the making of their project. The film was recently featured on The Huffington Post and has less than a day to finish gathering the required funds to make this project a reality. Check it out.