Carlos: Hi, Stephenson. Thanks for taking the time to discuss your pioneering transgender research. It certainly provides an illuminating perspective that goes well beyond the media fixation on bathrooms, sports, and grooming. How did this fascinating research journey begin?
Stephenson: Those are still important topics, but my interest in post-mortem identities began before graduate school when I attended several memorials for trans people. I could not help but notice the arbitrary way in which the deceased’s gender identity was assigned. Usually these memorials reflected their family’s preferences rather than the way the deceased would have defined themselves. Then in graduate school I encountered the concept of end-of-life (EOL) communication. I concluded that end-of-life communication intersected with the use of public memorial expressions, such as gravestones, obituaries, and funerals.