Susan Stryker Oral History

Susan Stryker was born into a white working-class family in Fort Sill, Oklahoma on July 7, 1961. Susan earned her PhD in United States history from University of California in Berkeley. While juggling parental and academic responsibilities, she was also exploring her identity in the queer dungeons and drag bars of San Francisco. By the end of her PhD in 1992, she decided to transition to female. While living in extreme poverty, Susan seized on her newfound freedom to explore academics, politics, and art on her own terms – what she refers to now as her “unpaid residency in transgender studies.” Susan eventually returned to academia and went on to become Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at University of Arizona, where she served for five years as Director of the Institute for LGBT Studies and founded the university’s Transgender Studies Initiative. Susan reflects on channeling her anger at the mistreatment of trans people into her life’s work of public storytelling. Through reshaping the public consciousness about gender in her research, teaching, and art, she seeks to create a safe and welcoming environment for future trans generations.

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Item Information:

Identifier: cr56n137c
Collection: Audio and Video Clips and Transcripts
Institution: OUTWORDS
Creator(s): Stryker, Susan
Mukerjee, Lucy
Contributor(s): Taiwo-Makanjuola, Kristie
Date Created: Apr. 19, 2021
Dates Covered: 1992
1983
1999
Genre: Oral Histories
Subject(s): GLBT Historical Society (GLBTHS)
GLQ
Susan Stryker
Transgender Nation
Transgender Studies Initiative
TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly
Places: California > San Francisco County > San Francisco
Oklahoma
Topic(s): Sexuality
Trans women
Transgender parents
Transgender studies
Transitioning (Gender)
Resource Type: Moving image
Language: English
Rights: In copyright
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