Transgender History: The Roots of Today's Revolution brilliantly covers America’s transgender history from the mid-twentieth century to today, from “transsexual” communities post-WWII, to trans radicalism of the 1960s, to the identity politics of today. It’s an indelible testament to how transgender history is American history.

Since the early 1990s, Professor Stryker has been at the forefront of formative conversations about transgender theory, history, and culture. And in 2005, she won an Emmy Award for co-directing Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria, an essential documentary about the transgender women and drag queens who fought police harassment at Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco's Tenderloin in 1966 — three years before the famous Stonewall riots.

This month, I had the honor of sitting down with Professor Susan Stryker to discuss her groundbreaking book and how we can learn from the past to better fight the battles of today.