From Sickness to Citizenship

Susan Stryker - Speaker at TCNJ

Susan wished to tell the story of trans-history to the culture that is today.  Susan's book, "Welcome to Trans-Reality", speaks about how the root of oppression.  She states that due to people's ignorance many do not believe that trans is 'real'.  This made me think about the threat that trans people must feel by societies placing people in those gender boxes (that we spoke about the beginning of our class).  Susan read a section of her book and then discussed as a synopsis.  The section she read spoke of race, sex, and gender fluidity.  "Everywhere we go is dangerous... I am dangerous."  This sentence caught my attention.  I felt awful that men and women are forced to be oppressed by others because of an unwilling and un-understanding society.  Technology is helping to change this mindset by making it known that people have different identifies, for example the growth of the Google search of the word 'trans'.  Susan's speaking made me better understand trans-people and taught me to reassess and attempt to remove the gender boxes of today's culture.