Save the ADA!

The Americans with Disabilities Act is under attack. I co-wrote a piece for the Washington Post about H.R. 620. It’s serious. It has lots of co-sponsors. And it’s got to be stopped. The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 is perhaps the most wide-ranging civil rights act in the world. After decades of political struggle by … Continue ReadingSave the ADA!

There Ain’t No Normal: Hamilton and Headphones

I wrote about my son’s bright green hearing protectors for Pacific Standard. I hesitated to get them at first, badly swayed by the idea that they would more firmly mark him as different and cause isolation. They do the opposite. They open up the world. Including Hamilton. Here’s the takeaway: I’m not alone. I know far … Continue ReadingThere Ain’t No Normal: Hamilton and Headphones

Free Speech is Messy

For Pacific Standard, I write about the free speech complexities of the upcoming “free speech week.” First, the organizers didn’t even ask the speakers or book the spaces before they started crying oppression. Second, “security concerns” forced the Anthropology department to cancel a long-planned talk. I write: “Thanks to “safety concerns,” the annual distinguished lecture … Continue ReadingFree Speech is Messy

Deaf in Prison: Marshall Project covers HEARD

Why #DeafInPrison Can’t Call Home.@MarshallProj covers HEARD’s years-long #PhoneJustice battle. https://t.co/1FMnKveSt4 — HEARD (@behearddc) September 19, 2017 Glad to see this from The Marshall Project. Right now, most deaf detainees and prisoners have absolutely no telecommunications access,” said Talila Lewis, volunteer director of the nonprofit Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of Deaf communities (HEARD), … Continue ReadingDeaf in Prison: Marshall Project covers HEARD

On the Media: Nazis and Medieval Studies

I spoke with On the Media about Taylor Swift and Medieval Studies and Nazis, in response to my Pacific Standard article. There’s a lot going within medieval studies right now, but I don’t want us to forget this. White supremacist appropriation of medieval content is ongoing. We shoudn’t forget the students at University of Nevada Reno who … Continue ReadingOn the Media: Nazis and Medieval Studies