Stephenson Brooks Whitestone

Stephenson Brooks Whitestone conducts research in the emerging area of discrimination after death. She is particularly interested in the troubling practice of families who de-transition their transgender or gender diverse (TGD) family members after they die. However, her work and interests extend to other instances in which individuals and organizations associated with the dominant culture become empowered to enact the post-mortem identities of marginalized individuals through funerals, gravestone epitaphs, obituaries, and online memorials. Stephenson earned her doctorate in communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara where she also earned an emphasis in Feminist Studies. She has had her work published in journals such as Human Communication Research, International Journal of Communication, and Sociological Inquiry. Stephenson has taught a variety of courses including Public Speaking, Gender and Communication, Communication Theory, Communication Research Methods, Social Interaction, and Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies