Ariadne "Ari" Kane was born Joseph DeMaios on January 12, 1936. He graduated with a B.S. in biophysics from the City College of New York and received an Ed.D. in Human Sexual Science from the Institute of Advanced Study of Sexuality in San Francisco, California, in 1998. Early in his professional life, Kane worked as the program director for the educational agency Educational Dynamics, Limited, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, (1975 to 1982) and as a real estate broker and appraiser for Century 21, Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts (1978 to 1984).
Kane has worked on behalf of the transgendered community since the early 1970s, mainly through the Outreach Institute of Gender Studies, which he founded in 1975. Named the Human Outreach and Achievement Institute until 1996, the Institute's mission is to advance the understanding of gender identity and role development and to educate and foster education in all aspects related to the phenomenon of gender and human sexuality. Activities and programs of the Institute include Fantasia Fair; workshops and programs, including the Gender Awareness Information Network (GAIN) and the Gender Attitude Reassessment Program (GARP); and publications. Fantasia Fair has been an annual event for crossdressers, transsexuals, and transgenderists in Provincetown, Massachusetts, since the mid-1970s. Through social gatherings, seminars, and other activities, the Fair provides a supportive environment for individuals exploring alternative gender identities and roles. The GAIN program has a professional membership of health care workers and other human services groups and is designed to keep professionals informed of the latest information on gender issues, as well as being a resource for gender-conflicted individuals. GARP is a workshop designed for individuals to explore gender diversity through the use of media, role playing, lectures, and other means. Among their Institute-produced publications are the Journal of Gender Studies, Our Sorority/Directory, and information packets of reprinted articles and monographs for specific gender groups, including male-to-female transsexuals and wives/partners of transgenderists. Kane also designed other conferences and events through the Outreach Institute, including the New Woman Conference for wives and partners. In addition, Kane founded the social services agency Theseus Counseling and Consulting Service in 1985. Through Theseus, he provides clients with guided counseling, coaching and therapeutic services, as well as offering information and consultation on gender/sexuality programs to health care agencies.
In addition to his outreach and counseling work, Kane has written articles, conducted workshops and presentations, and has been a guest on radio and television programs. In 1980, he appeared on the Phil Donahue Show and was a guest on the David Suskind Show in 1982. He has been a participant, speaker, and workshop facilitator at the annual meetings of various professional organizations, including the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists; the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality; the International Foundation for Gender Education; and the Association for Humanistic Psychology. He has also lectured on sexuality and gender diversity at universities throughout the country.
From the guide to the Papers of J. Ari Kane-DeMaios, 1970-2005, (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)
