It then concludes by demonstrating some of trans* studies’ core methods through a close reading of John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982). Rather than envisioning the fields as opposites, however, this chapter seeks to clarify their relation as a fruitful paradox in which each discourse problematizes and yet enlivens the other’s claims. Both like and yet unlike queer studies, trans* studies points up queer theory’s limitations while inverting many of its major premises.
Drawing on Janet Halley’s early mapping of each field’s claims as well as Susan Stryker’s characterization of transgender studies as queer theory’s “evil twin,” this chapter explores the critical relation enacted between the two fields, tracing relevant points of congruence and tension between their methods. 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.What is transgender studies, and what are its major methods? While the field itself is oriented against definitive answers to such questions, transgender studies does indeed possess a history and an emergent set of critical tools, both similar to and yet divergent from the more institutionally embraced field of queer studies. 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. In her interview, Stryker highlights the connection between BDSM subcultures, women of color feminism, and the emergence of trans* scholarship.
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.
I was also interested in her perspectives on the sort of solidarities that played a role in the trans revolution today.
She is also working to build the schools new transgender studies program. I interviewed Susan to better understand the connections between queer cultures and the emergence of trans scholarship. Susan Stryker is the director of the University of Arizonas Institute of LGBT Studies. Susan Stryker is a lesbian historian whose research, books, and films were pathbreaking in creating the field of trans* studies. 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.
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