In this talk drawn from her work in progress, What Transpires Now, Susan Stryker explores the relationship between the transgender past and present, and how history can inspire us to reimagine the future. The talk will focus on the story of Frances Thompson, whose life became the focus of a national scandal in the 1870s, in ways that prefigure the weaponization of trans people in contemporary political controversies. The story of this black trans/disabled sex-worker in Memphis played a role in the 1876 presidential election.

Susan Stryker is Associate Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Arizona. She is founding co-editor of the journal TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, author of Transgender History: The Roots of Today’s Revolution, and co-director of the Emmy-winning documentary film Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria.