The Empire Strikes Back: A Posttranssexual Manifesto

Sandy Stone's influential 1987 article, "The Empire Strikes Back: A Posttranssexual Manifesto," is a foundational text in transgender studies, critically examining narratives around trans identity. Writing from her own experience as a trans woman, Stone challenged prevailing medical and psychological discourses that often pathologized trans lives. Her work is celebrated for asserting agency and self-determination for trans individuals, shifting the focus from external definitions to lived experience.