Without Susan Stryker, some of the most significant moments in transgender history might be confined to archive collections rather than best-selling books and films. A filmmaker, writer and professor at Indiana University-Bloomington, Stryker is one of the few known transgender historians to date. Her works, which include Transgender History and Christine Jorgensen's autobiography ( Stryker co-authored the work ) , became canonical in gender studies collections nearly the moment they hit the shelves.
It's been five years since Stryker released her Emmy-winning documentary, Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria. The film is largely credited with shedding light on the Compton Cafeteria Riot, the violent transgender uprising in San Francisco against police brutality that pre-dated Stonewall by three years.
Styker will be screening her Emmy-winning film, Screaming Queens, Oct. 24 at Oak Park Public Library. Windy City Times caught up with Stryker to talk about historical tensions between trans and gay people, the conservative right's new anti-trans agenda, and the challenges facing trans people in a post- 9/11 world.
Windy City Times: What are you working on right now?
Susan Stryker: Ah, too much. Mostly what I'm doing is trying to teach my classes and keep my girlfriend happy. So that's the main thing. In terms of work, I am working on a new film … about Christine Jorgenson. It's all starting to gel. I plan for it to be done by summer of 2012.
WCT: Gay issues are getting a lot of press right now. How do you think this affects transgender movements?
Susan Stryker: I think it's kind of a mixed bag. In some ways it's not necessarily the same issues for trans people. I mean like, gays in the military. It's like, so if they let gays in the military, they're still not going to let trans people serve. And so whether or not those are even trans issues remains to be seen or whether or not whats good for the gays is good for the trans. I don't want to see gay and trans being put in opposition of each other because I live at the intersection of those communities. I don't want to have to choose.
WCT: In arguing for a transgender-inclusive ENDA, you confronted the claim that transgender and gay histories are disparate. As a historian, why do you think some gay people have a hard time viewing their history as integral to trans history?
Susan Stryker: By 1973 or so, that the whole idea of gay liberation had gotten tied up with the idea of having full citizenship rights. It's been a mainstreaming. It's the idea "well, we want a place at the table." And the "place at the table" way of thinking about things wants to create gay as a variation on normal … and that includes gender normalcy. In that way of thinking about it, transgender doesn't fit into it.
WCT: As a person who is recording transgender history now, are you finding that the language is changing faster than you're able to record it?
Susan Stryker: I think that happens all the time, anyway. But, yeah, things do seem to be very fluid. Everything is just so in flux and fluid that yeah, it is in some ways hard to keep up. It's what makes me want to listen and not act like I know all the answers.
WCT: What is the historical significance of the present for transgender communities?
Susan Stryker: I do see a lot of things happening all at once, some of which are contradictory. You know like, I do see more and more people knowing about transgender issues and feeling comfortable with them….I also see, through, from the organized far right in the U.S., in some ways, it has sort of shifted focus away from gay and lesbian issues. I think they have found that the sort of "tranny bathroom, man in a dress stalking our wives and daughters" theme is actually a good way to drive a wedge into LGBT politics.
WCT: What is a new challenge facing transgender people?
Susan Stryker: Given some of the post-9/11 security issues that have been raised, there's far more surveillance of the population. There's so many ways that all of our data is much more scrutinized than it used to be. And that as a result, I think it's harder to be in the closet as a trans person, even if you want to be. You can walk around in the world as a trans person a little bit more easily in a lot of places, but you can't do it with the assumption that nobody knows you're trans.
WCT: Why is it important for transgender people to have written and oral histories?
Susan Stryker: I think it's really easy to feel like you're alone, and so just documenting that there are other people who have had your experience, I think is good. And two… knowing other people's stories is a way to broaden your perspective.
Stryker will be screening her film, Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria, as part of the Oak Park PFLAG October Movie Series at Oak Park Public Library Sunday, Oct. 24, at 2:30 p.m. For more information got to: www.oppl.org/ .
