Digital Transgender Archive

Spotlight: “You’re all beautiful. Keep it up.”

Davina Anne Gabriel closed an interview with Sandy Stone for a 1995 publication of her journal, TransSisters, with the question, “what advice would you give to the transsexual feminist movement?” Stone replied with the encouragement that is the title of this post, "You're all beautiful. Keep it up." She continued, “There’s nothing we can’t do if we keep going in the direction we’re going now.” Gabriel’s, “Interview with the Transsexual Vampire: Sandy Stone’s Dark Gift” features thoughtful dialogue between her and Stone. They explore Stone’s work, “The Empire Strikes Back: A Posttranssexual Manifesto,” Janice Raymond and feminist separatists' charges against Stone, as well as what she saw as the next step for the transsexual feminist movement. Stone’s work inspired many in the transsexual community to oppose the dominant discourse surrounding them and to stop “passing” and instead to acknowledge and build off their pasts in order to improve the future for others in the community. Gabriel even reveals that Stone’s work was her motivation to start TransSisters in order to promote a greater feminist consciousness among the transsexual community. Stone pushed further, however, and encouraged the creation of focus groups, coalitions, and political activism in addition to the distribution of information. From the groundwork laid by activists such as Sandy Stone and Davina Anne Gabriel, the modern trans feminist movement was built.