activism and service

Susan considers her wide-ranging efforts to develop resources for the field of transgender studies to be a form of intellectual activism that helps change power/knowledge relationships on a topic of vital contemporary concern. She serves on a number of boards and committees related to this work, including the co-editorial team of the book series ASTERISK (gender, trans-, and all that comes after).

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She has a persistent interest in harnessing the story of the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot to ongoing social justice efforts in San Francisco’s Tenderloin and participates in a variety of projects that work to link the legacy of militant trans resistance against oppressive social conditions to contemporary activist concerns.

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In recent years, Susan has focused on service activities with historical organizations and museums. She serves as National Co-Chair of the GLBT Historical Society Museum Advisory Committee and is an Advisory Board Member for San Francisco’s Tenderloin Museum, as well as a member of the Scholars Advisory Committee for the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. From 2021-2023 she served on the Board of Trustees of the New York-based American LGBTQ+ Museum.