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Abstract
For a special issue on Solidarity within the LGBTQ + community edited by Finn Mackay and Nikki Hayfield, Ella Ben Hagai, the editor of the Journal of Lesbian Studies interviewed Susan Stryker. Susan Stryker is a lesbian historian whose research, books, and films were pathbreaking in creating the field of trans* studies. I interviewed Susan to better understand the connections between queer cultures and the emergence of trans scholarship. I was also interested in her perspectives on the sort of solidarities that played a role in the trans revolution today. In the last part of the interview, I discuss with Stryker the political obstacles facing trans people and forms of solidarity necessary to face the current backlash in the U.S. against LGBTQ + people in general. In her interview, Stryker highlights the connection between BDSM subcultures, women of color feminism, and the emergence of trans* scholarship. She discusses the historical galvanization of trans and queer resistance around police violence and carceral logics, drawing lessons for overcoming current divisions in the queer community. Speaking about contemporary politics in the United States, Stryker illuminates the backlash against feminism and transgender rights and provides inspiration toward a strategy of united front politics.
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
Funding
The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.
Notes
1 DYKES FOR TRANS RIGHTS’ is inspired by trans-lesbian solidarity in the RebelDykes community. At the Art & Archive Show there were flyers with this message and an invitation to attend trans pride with the Rebel Dykes the following week, where the Rebel Dykes marched under a banner with the same text. The banner-quilt reflects on interconnected moments in time in lesbian history, bringing together two important lesbian banners from different time periods. It is statement on the importance of lesbian-trans solidarity, whilst acknowledging that the two identities are of course always intersecting, overlapping and interconnected. More information about the Rebel Dykes: https://www.rebeldykes1980s.com/. More information about the Lesbian Archive and Information Center Collection: https://womenslibrary.org.uk/explore-the-library-and-archive/the-archive-collection/the-lesbian-archive/
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Ella Ben Hagai
Ella Ben Hagai was trained in anthropology at the London School of Economics and in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. She received her Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is an Associate Professor at California State University, Fullerton. Her research broadly focuses on processes that lead individuals to develop intersectional consciousness. Recent theoretical publications explore intersections between queer and trans* thought and psychological research. Much of her empirical research examines the sociopsychological processes that lead non-Palestinians to act in solidarity with Palestine.
Lily House-Peters
Lily House-Peters is broadly trained human-environment geographer and political ecologist who holds a PhD from the School of Geography, Development and the Environment at the University of Arizona. She is currently an Associate Professor at California State University, Long Beach. Her research interests include environmental philosophy, queer theory, digital geography, natural resource extraction, and the role of smart technologies and algorithms in producing novel encounters with and new understandings of nature. Her research has been published in a wide range of academic journals including, Global Sustainability, Environmental Science and Policy, Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Progress in Human Geography, Antipode, Current Opinions in Sustainability, and Water Resources Research.
Sarah-Joy Ford is an artist researcher working with textiles to explore the complexities and pleasures of queer communities, histories and archives. Her practice sits at intersection of digital and traditional: using strategies of quilting,digital embroidery, digital print, applique and hand embellishment. Ford is a co-director of the Queer Research Network Manchester, an interdisciplinary network connecting postgraduates across the Manchester Universities and a member of the practice based research collective Proximity.