Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
@esharrow.bsky.social
Scholar of gender politics + Title IX // Coauthor, Equality Unfulfilled (Cambridge UP) // APSA, AERA & Choice ALA book awards
Professor of Public Policy & History at UMass Amherst +Dir of Faculty Research, UMass Institute for Social Science Research
Professor of Public Policy & History at UMass Amherst +Dir of Faculty Research, UMass Institute for Social Science Research
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
‘Death remains my intimate shadow partner. It has been with me since birth, always hovering close by. I understand one day we will finally waltz together into the ether. I hope when that time comes, I die with the satisfaction of a life well-lived, unapologetic, joyful, & full of love.’
—Alice Wong
—Alice Wong
November 15, 2025 at 6:12 AM
‘Death remains my intimate shadow partner. It has been with me since birth, always hovering close by. I understand one day we will finally waltz together into the ether. I hope when that time comes, I die with the satisfaction of a life well-lived, unapologetic, joyful, & full of love.’
—Alice Wong
—Alice Wong
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
The incredible, indomitable, inspirational Alice Wong has left us.
I'm so grateful to have known her on social media, and so grateful for all the words she shared with us and all the actions she encouraged us into making.
May we live up to her example.
(so you don't have to go to Instagram)
I'm so grateful to have known her on social media, and so grateful for all the words she shared with us and all the actions she encouraged us into making.
May we live up to her example.
(so you don't have to go to Instagram)
November 15, 2025 at 6:13 AM
The incredible, indomitable, inspirational Alice Wong has left us.
I'm so grateful to have known her on social media, and so grateful for all the words she shared with us and all the actions she encouraged us into making.
May we live up to her example.
(so you don't have to go to Instagram)
I'm so grateful to have known her on social media, and so grateful for all the words she shared with us and all the actions she encouraged us into making.
May we live up to her example.
(so you don't have to go to Instagram)
Join us in Springfield next Tuesday!
Join us for this free talk by Timothy Black (PhD, UMass Sociology) on his 30 year study tracking the life experiences of a network of Puerto Rican men and women in social conditions that have severely limited them. This talk is open to the public! www.umass.edu/social-scien...
November 13, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Join us in Springfield next Tuesday!
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
2. Trump pardoned dozens of individuals today who tried to overturn the 2020 election. A healthy democracy calls attempts to overturn the democratic process what they are: Treason. This should raise concerns even higher about this administration's commitment to democratic processes in 2028 / 2029.
Trump pardons Giuliani and other allies who worked to overturn his 2020 election loss
The federal pardon, which is largely symbolic, covers the so-called fake electors, some of whom still face state charges.
www.votebeat.org
November 10, 2025 at 11:49 PM
2. Trump pardoned dozens of individuals today who tried to overturn the 2020 election. A healthy democracy calls attempts to overturn the democratic process what they are: Treason. This should raise concerns even higher about this administration's commitment to democratic processes in 2028 / 2029.
This is a time to love fiercely.
I poured everything I had into this one. "I see you gathering, hundreds at a time, to learn, to keep watch, and bare your teeth. I see you running toward danger, together, and loving each other more fiercely than you ever knew you could." organizingmythoughts.org/in-chicago-w...
November 9, 2025 at 1:16 PM
This is a time to love fiercely.
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
“What was once a reliable, repeatable pillar of her life was ripped away from her, first because she felt like an outlier among her peers, and then..the powers that be took away her right to be on the team.” The government has “targeted the fundamental social pillars upholding trans lives”. so cruel
For @teenvogue.com I wrote about the death of trans athlete Lia Smith and how trans youth kind themselves with central pillars of their lives being constantly ripped away from them because of politics. www.teenvogue.com/story/politi...
Politicizing Transgender Athletes Is Dangerous. Lia Smith Deserved Better.
"Let her passing be an inflection point for how you think about trans rights and trans people more generally."
www.teenvogue.com
November 9, 2025 at 11:42 AM
“What was once a reliable, repeatable pillar of her life was ripped away from her, first because she felt like an outlier among her peers, and then..the powers that be took away her right to be on the team.” The government has “targeted the fundamental social pillars upholding trans lives”. so cruel
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
This is really good.
For @teenvogue.com I wrote about the death of trans athlete Lia Smith and how trans youth kind themselves with central pillars of their lives being constantly ripped away from them because of politics. www.teenvogue.com/story/politi...
Politicizing Transgender Athletes Is Dangerous. Lia Smith Deserved Better.
"Let her passing be an inflection point for how you think about trans rights and trans people more generally."
www.teenvogue.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:18 PM
This is really good.
“Transgender people are more than just a political issue, and we're in danger. We need all the help we can get from friends, neighbors, politicians, and school administrators.. trans people are increasingly discriminated against, excluded, and treated without respect or dignity…
Help us.”
Help us.”
For @teenvogue.com I wrote about the death of trans athlete Lia Smith and how trans youth kind themselves with central pillars of their lives being constantly ripped away from them because of politics. www.teenvogue.com/story/politi...
Politicizing Transgender Athletes Is Dangerous. Lia Smith Deserved Better.
"Let her passing be an inflection point for how you think about trans rights and trans people more generally."
www.teenvogue.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:53 PM
“Transgender people are more than just a political issue, and we're in danger. We need all the help we can get from friends, neighbors, politicians, and school administrators.. trans people are increasingly discriminated against, excluded, and treated without respect or dignity…
Help us.”
Help us.”
“To be a good citizen of a bad state, one has to do scary things… It is weighing leaving against staying, moral obligation against fear, flying under the radar against taking a risk — and opting for the risk.” —M. Gessen
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/o...
Opinion | How to Be a Good Citizen When Your Country Does Bad Things
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:43 PM
“To be a good citizen of a bad state, one has to do scary things… It is weighing leaving against staying, moral obligation against fear, flying under the radar against taking a risk — and opting for the risk.” —M. Gessen
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/o...
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
it's time for journos to start asking Johnson meta questions
"Speaker, on 5 occasions last week you said 'I haven't seen it' when asked about news events w/big implications for public policy. Do you ever read the news, and do you agree it's problematic for the Speaker to be so woefully uninformed?"
"Speaker, on 5 occasions last week you said 'I haven't seen it' when asked about news events w/big implications for public policy. Do you ever read the news, and do you agree it's problematic for the Speaker to be so woefully uninformed?"
November 3, 2025 at 3:36 PM
it's time for journos to start asking Johnson meta questions
"Speaker, on 5 occasions last week you said 'I haven't seen it' when asked about news events w/big implications for public policy. Do you ever read the news, and do you agree it's problematic for the Speaker to be so woefully uninformed?"
"Speaker, on 5 occasions last week you said 'I haven't seen it' when asked about news events w/big implications for public policy. Do you ever read the news, and do you agree it's problematic for the Speaker to be so woefully uninformed?"
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
We join our CEO in urging federal leaders to protect SNAP and safeguard the health, stability, and dignity of communities.
Read our full statement here: bit.ly/49pxnXfbit.ly/49pxnXf
Read our full statement here: bit.ly/49pxnXfbit.ly/49pxnXf
October 27, 2025 at 6:57 PM
We join our CEO in urging federal leaders to protect SNAP and safeguard the health, stability, and dignity of communities.
Read our full statement here: bit.ly/49pxnXfbit.ly/49pxnXf
Read our full statement here: bit.ly/49pxnXfbit.ly/49pxnXf
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
City Lights, a San Francisco Institution founded by the late great Beat Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, has banners posted for this time in history
October 30, 2025 at 6:57 PM
City Lights, a San Francisco Institution founded by the late great Beat Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, has banners posted for this time in history
I’ve had a note above my desk for 5 years that reads, “love trans people.” It’s not bc “love” is sufficient or bc I sometimes forget. It’s bc witnessing the dehumanization of trans people and trans dignity is stripping us all of our humanity and I refuse to let it also steal my heart.
To Lia 🏳️⚧️❤️🏳️⚧️
To Lia 🏳️⚧️❤️🏳️⚧️
1/ In late October, Middlebury College announced that Lia Smith, a 21-year-old student and diver, had taken her own life. She was also a trans athlete in a country that often treats transgender participation in sports as a political controversy. 🧵
October 30, 2025 at 1:51 AM
I’ve had a note above my desk for 5 years that reads, “love trans people.” It’s not bc “love” is sufficient or bc I sometimes forget. It’s bc witnessing the dehumanization of trans people and trans dignity is stripping us all of our humanity and I refuse to let it also steal my heart.
To Lia 🏳️⚧️❤️🏳️⚧️
To Lia 🏳️⚧️❤️🏳️⚧️
Somehow Emily Nussbaum has retweeted my parents
October 18, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Somehow Emily Nussbaum has retweeted my parents
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
The Slavery North initiative at UMass Amherst is hiring a Director of Curriculum & Outreach; great opportunity for someone with training in art history; application deadline is 8/24. careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u... 🗃️
Details - Director Curriculum & Outreach (Slavery North) | Human Resources | UMass Amherst
careers.umass.edu
August 15, 2025 at 9:26 AM
The Slavery North initiative at UMass Amherst is hiring a Director of Curriculum & Outreach; great opportunity for someone with training in art history; application deadline is 8/24. careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u... 🗃️
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
Trump’s attempt to restrict life-saving healthcare for trans youth is cruel and illegal, and we won’t stand for it.
My office will keep fighting to protect these rights and the safety of our LGBTQ+ youth.
My office will keep fighting to protect these rights and the safety of our LGBTQ+ youth.
August 4, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Trump’s attempt to restrict life-saving healthcare for trans youth is cruel and illegal, and we won’t stand for it.
My office will keep fighting to protect these rights and the safety of our LGBTQ+ youth.
My office will keep fighting to protect these rights and the safety of our LGBTQ+ youth.
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
“It’s a sort of death by a thousand cuts."
LGBTQ+ Americans, who disproportionately rely on Medicaid, are at risk of losing their health care at a time when rising discrimination + fewer workplace protections puts them at risk of being pushed further into the margins.
19thnews.org/2025/07/medi...
LGBTQ+ Americans, who disproportionately rely on Medicaid, are at risk of losing their health care at a time when rising discrimination + fewer workplace protections puts them at risk of being pushed further into the margins.
19thnews.org/2025/07/medi...
With fewer protections and more paperwork, LGBTQ+ Americans face a Medicaid coverage cliff
LGBTQ+ adults are twice as likely to use Medicaid as their main insurance. Trump’s new tax law could create insurmountable hurdles for their health care.
19thnews.org
July 15, 2025 at 4:58 PM
“It’s a sort of death by a thousand cuts."
LGBTQ+ Americans, who disproportionately rely on Medicaid, are at risk of losing their health care at a time when rising discrimination + fewer workplace protections puts them at risk of being pushed further into the margins.
19thnews.org/2025/07/medi...
LGBTQ+ Americans, who disproportionately rely on Medicaid, are at risk of losing their health care at a time when rising discrimination + fewer workplace protections puts them at risk of being pushed further into the margins.
19thnews.org/2025/07/medi...
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
Yet another seismic decision fundamentally reshaping our system of government issued on the shadow docket with not even a single word of explanation.
BREAKING: The Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to move forward with the abolition of the Department of Education. It gives no explanation for its order. All three liberals dissent. www.documentcloud.org/documents/25...
From Sotomayor's dissent:
From Sotomayor's dissent:
July 14, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Yet another seismic decision fundamentally reshaping our system of government issued on the shadow docket with not even a single word of explanation.
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
It doesn't matter if they are ever coming for you.
It was always ever already too much that they were coming for anyone.
It was always ever already too much that they were coming for anyone.
July 10, 2025 at 12:28 AM
It doesn't matter if they are ever coming for you.
It was always ever already too much that they were coming for anyone.
It was always ever already too much that they were coming for anyone.
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
next time you're in a national park, take some photos of the signage and upload it to help these archivists www.404media.co/save-our-sig...
'Save Our Signs' Wants to Save the Real History of National Parks Before Trump Erases It
Trump wants to erase any "negative" content from educational sites at National Parks. A group of data preservationists asks visitors to help them document placards and monuments, before they disappear...
www.404media.co
July 8, 2025 at 4:25 PM
next time you're in a national park, take some photos of the signage and upload it to help these archivists www.404media.co/save-our-sig...
Reposted by Elizabeth (Libby) Sharrow
Horrific political assassinations took place in America, & we’ve totally erased it from the National Conversation™️ because they happened in the Midwest instead of Manhattan & we’re not a serious country. Incredibly depressing on so many deep, pathetic levels. May their memories be a blessing.
This broke me from the first paragraph
"For Melissa Hortman’s last day at work, they draped her coffin with pink flowers and filled the cold marble under the Minnesota Capitol dome with the green and growing things that she loved."
Thank you, @stribrooks.bsky.social
"For Melissa Hortman’s last day at work, they draped her coffin with pink flowers and filled the cold marble under the Minnesota Capitol dome with the green and growing things that she loved."
Thank you, @stribrooks.bsky.social
Brooks: Minnesota’s greatest honor for a family’s great loss
Former President Joe Biden paid his respects in person, and mourners waited in long lines to honor Melissa and Mark Hortman, and their dog Gilbert, as they lay in state at the Capitol.
www.startribune.com
June 28, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Horrific political assassinations took place in America, & we’ve totally erased it from the National Conversation™️ because they happened in the Midwest instead of Manhattan & we’re not a serious country. Incredibly depressing on so many deep, pathetic levels. May their memories be a blessing.
What a thrill!
It’s actually happening! New #TheXFiles Lego set gets the green light 👽🛸
Two new LEGO Ideas ‘90s sets officially confirmed
LEGO Ideas has revealed the winners of its two latest contests, confirming which ‘90s-inspired sets will be joining the portfolio next.
www.brickfanatics.com
June 25, 2025 at 8:03 PM
What a thrill!
Health care, vaccines, entitlement programs: they are actually life or death.
Mitch McConnell told Senate Republicans that Americans concerned about losing Medicaid will “get over it."
No one will “get over” losing a loved one because Republicans in Congress failed them.
No one will “get over” losing a loved one because Republicans in Congress failed them.
No one will “get over” losing a loved one because Republicans in Congress failed them.
YouTube video by Senator Elizabeth Warren
www.youtube.com
June 25, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Health care, vaccines, entitlement programs: they are actually life or death.
From one Libby to another Libby whose partner is a librarian and has been foretelling the devastation for Libby (both Libby’s, in this case), this is very sad news for a literate, educated public.
Equal access to knowledge and libraries forever.
Equal access to knowledge and libraries forever.
Oh HELL no! Not my beloved Libby! Those bastards. We ride at dawn. #booksky
June 20, 2025 at 11:59 AM
From one Libby to another Libby whose partner is a librarian and has been foretelling the devastation for Libby (both Libby’s, in this case), this is very sad news for a literate, educated public.
Equal access to knowledge and libraries forever.
Equal access to knowledge and libraries forever.