Shoshana K. Goldberg
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goldbergsk.bsky.social
Shoshana K. Goldberg
@goldbergsk.bsky.social
260 followers 210 following 240 posts
LGBTQ+ data nerd. Public health PhD. Lover of gummy candy. Formerly HRC, Williams Institute, UNC. Next…TBD! || She /Her/Dr.
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goldbergsk.bsky.social
I hate gay Halloween. What do you mean you’re one of the dancing circulatory systems from the end of All That Jazz?
November 2, 2025 at 10:31 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
RIP to Robert Redford. That man could really wear a sweater /coat.
Robert Redford in a navy sweater holding a coffee cup Robert Redford in a grey crewneck sweater and shirling coat Robert Redford in a chunky white turtleneck , walking on beach with Barbara Streisand Robert Redford running in a grey wool blazer
September 16, 2025 at 3:25 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
Cool
Screenshot of headline /lede /graph NYTimes article from 8/13/25 showing that, in NYC, “only about 1,000 jobs were added in the first half of this year” (2025)
August 13, 2025 at 2:47 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
Yes.
Text exchange between myself and Mattie on her Boys Weekend pub day in 2023
July 22, 2025 at 7:59 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
Look at how happy we are with our stickers! This could be you!
Two people (myself and my husband) smiling while showing off our “I Voted Early” stickers
June 24, 2025 at 4:11 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
Horrible news, friends: appletinis are back
Photo of a lit up bar menu that has, among other options, an appletini (for $12)
May 2, 2025 at 3:03 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
For more info on me, my LinkedIn is: linkedin.com/in/skgoldberg

For more info on what I’m looking for, see the summary below
White text outline on black background detailing: Who: Me, your friend Shoshana, who has expertise/experience in the following Topic areas - LGBTQ+ health/policy (all age groups; intersectional approaches; etc) - Sexual and reproductive health and justice/ family planning / abortion - Social/Structural determinants of health - Health Disparities, equity, DEI - HIV/AIDS; HIV Criminalization Policy - Public health /Epidemiology Skills - Quantitative analysis (STATA / SAS /MPlus) using both survey data/large scale population based datasets, and convenience samples - Legal and policy analysis, including quantifying impact of laws on daily life - Data visualization and report design (Canva) - Web content creation (Craft) - Qualitative analysis (Dedoose / Atlas.TI) - Survey and questionnaire design - Managing a team - Monitoring & evaluation (& learning / MEL) Skills continued: - Academic/Scientific writing (e.g. peer-reviewed manuscripts and grants) - Public education writing (e.g. fact sheets/reports/blogs) - Advocacy writing (toplines, talking points, internal memos and backgrounders) - Public speaking (conferences, webinars, teaching) - Public communication /Interfacing with the press (radio, tv, print, online) What: Ultimately, I'm looking for a job. Full-time is preferred, but open to part-time and contract/project/consultant work as well. At this stage, I'm also looking for introductions, informational interviews, coffee chats to strategize next steps, and any other help you might provide. Some job titles that might make sense for me are: Researcher (/Research Fellow / Research Director/ Research Associate); Data Analyst (/Data Analytics); Policy Analyst; Program Officer I am also intrigued with ways I can offer writing and/or data support for journalists, advocates, lawyers/litigators/legal researchers, etc. Where: NYC and/or remote. Locally, I am open to hybrid and in-office positions. Industry: Ideally non-profit, civil society, and advocacy orgs, preferably in LGBTQ+, reproductive justice, democracy, or DEI/equity spaces. Foundation work is also appealing. I'm also open to new opportunities and domains/industries I might not have considered (UX design? people analytics? who knows!). Given the current moment we find ourselves in, I'm aware a career pivot may be needed, and would love your thoughts on areas to explore that might not be on my radar. When: Now? Ideally I'd like to start work in early April, but open to earlier and later start dates. Why: #2025Bitches How can you help?: Send me any opportunities or leads you may know of. Forward this along to your friends or colleagues who might be good for me to know. Scroll through your LinkedIn, and see if anyone is doing work that could be a good match. And if you're in NYC, let's meet for a coffee/run/walk/movie/drink/etc. --anything that gets me away from obsessively doomscrolling through LinkedIn.
May 1, 2025 at 9:41 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
POINT 6 CON'T: Nowhere is this more clear than in their discussion of psychotherapy modalities and how they should be used to
- better understand "external factors" that "contribute to cross-sex identification"
- or alleviate "cognitive distortions" and "ruminations" through "socialization"
three-column table table from HHS report, labeled as Table 14.1, with an orange header row (listed below in CAPS), and single row of text TYPE OF PSYCHOTHERAPUTIC MODALITY: Manualized approaches DEFINITION OF MODALITIY: These approaches are performed according to manualized instructions that provide structure and standardization. The most-studied approach is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps patients identify thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and the way they impact one another. Manualized therapies focus on development of coping skills and behavioral activation. Dialectical behavioral therapy, commonly used to address self-harm and suicidality, fosters distress-management techniques and interpersonal effectiveness. Manualized approaches typically involve several months of weekly individual or group sessions, and patients complete therapyrelated assignments between sessions. APPLICATION TO GD (Gender Dysphoria/Distress): Manualized approaches are evidencebased treatment of mental health problems that co-occur with GD, such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. For GD, manualized approaches can help patients identify thoughts and feelings related to sex-based distress, including cognitive distortions. Therapists can help patients develop healthy coping skills for managing this specific type of distress and can encourage behavioral activation. For example, engaging in physical activity, inperson social socialization, and/or mindfulness practices, can over time, decrease ruminations, including ruminations on sex-related discomfort. Continuation of table from previous image: TYPE OF PSYCHOTHERAPUTIC MODALITY: Psychodynamic approach DEFINITION OF MODALITY: This is a psychoanalytic approach that involves exploration of ego defenses and unconscious motivations. Through exploration of transference, patients come to better understand their interpersonal dynamics. Psychodynamic psychotherapy classically involves biweekly or weekly sessions and is not time-limited. APPLICATION TO GD: This approach is evidence-based for mental health conditions that co-occur with GD. Additionally, psychodynamic work around the theme of cross-sex identification or sex-related distress can facilitate exploration of patients’ early childhood experiences, family of origin, beliefs/values system, and interpersonal patterns in familial and romantic relationships as well as in school/work environments. This approach can help patients gain deeper understanding of their personal identity, including any external factors that may contribute to their cross-sex identification and desire for medical/surgical interventions. Patients can gain clarity about their own wishes or desires for medical or surgical transition interventions. Continuation of table from previous image TYPE OF PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC MODALITY: Family therapy DEFINITION OF MODALITY: This approach identifies problems affecting the patient and the family unit and aims to strengthen familial bonds and improve communication skills, by supporting work around attachment ruptures, communication and understanding different family members’ perspectives. It may involve parental education and development of strategies for improved interpersonal effectiveness within the family unit. APPLICATION TO GD: A child or adolescent exhibiting GD may occasionally lead to intense conflict and distress within the family unit. In familybased approaches a knowledgeable therapist can provide education about GD to parents and promote well-being of the family by bolstering effective communication and interpersonal skills. Family therapy is an evidence-based approach to treating adolescent eating disorders, where familial distress and embodied distress are heightened, as in GD. Family therapy is either the first-line intervention or the treatment of choice for many diagnoses in adolescence.
May 1, 2025 at 9:19 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
POINT 5: Leaning into the right-wing habit of claiming the victim, the report devotes 8 pages to the "whistleblowers" and how they have been mistreated, "faced retaliation," or been "marginalized and disparaged."

Meanwhile, care providers have faced bomb threats, death threats, doxxing, and attacks
Cover image of a report from HRC that I authored, "ONLINE HARASSMENT, OFFLINE VIOLENCE: UNCHECKED HARASSMENT OF GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE PROVIDERS AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND ITS OFFLINE VIOLENT CONSEQUENCES" (Last updated 12/18/22) Social media posts from accounts like Libs of TikTok and Matt Walsh kick off a cycle of harassment and stigma, with the ultimate goal of inciting violence and shutting down access to lifesaving and medically necessary gender affirming care: ✚ Hate speech accounts post an inflammatory message full of disinformation about gender affirming care and call out a specific hospital or doctor by name. ✚ The doctor and hospital almost immediately begin receiving a barrage of harassing and threatening messages online. ✚ Offline, doctors and hospitals named in social media harassment campaigns face harassment and threats at their homes and workplaces. In the most extreme examples, doctors face death threats and hospitals face bomb threats, halting care for all patients ✚ Extremist politicians looking to rile up the most extreme members of their base join in spreading the same transphobic rhetoric from their platforms, in some cases going so far as to introduce legislation to regulate children’s hospitals and gender-affirming care providers. ✚ Hospitals halt gender-affirming services or remove online resources and websites in order to protect the safety of their patients and staff. In an informal exploration across Facebook and Twitter, we identified 24 different hospitals and providers, across 21 states, who were directly attacked online following harassing, inflammatory and misleading posts from Libs of TikTok, Matt Walsh, and other right-wing accounts. Especially egregious posts/ attacks include: ✚ Following a series of social media posts from right-wing provocateur Libs of TikTok that claimed Boston Children’s Hospital’s (BCH) Gender was performing hysterectomies on minors and thus the hospital “needs to be shut down,” BCH has received three separate bomb threats, forcing temporary lockdowns and evacuations. The most recent bomb threat, from November 16th, specifically targeted BCH’s gender affirming care clinic, as well as individual physicians, claiming bombs had been placed in both the clinics and three doctors’ homes. ✚ One investigative report from October found that 20 different children’s hospitals had been named and targeted in online harassment campaigns in recent months, forcing 17 to remove or alter resources and content from their websites on gender-affirming care services. Five additional hospitals who had not been specifically targeted also chose to remove or alter information. Several hospitals and clinics have had to halt services or shut down altogether. ✚ In the wake of the November mass shooting at LGBTQ+ club Club Q in Colorado Springs where 5 people were killed while attending a drag show, the founder of Gays Against Groomers, an anti-trans hate group which equates gender affirming care with child abuse, stated on Tucker’s Carlson’s show that “shootings like the one at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo., would continue until the “evil agenda” of gender-affirming health care was put to an end.”
May 1, 2025 at 8:23 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
POINT 4 continued: This then leads the authors to fully reject common-use language and terminology in favor of using the terms they find more appropriate / "neutral."

There's nothing to debunk here, I just think it's lame as hell.
Text from HHS 'report' on gender-affirming care, page 38 “Gender dysphoria” (GD) is in the DSM and at present has no accepted alternative; therefore, it will be used despite problems with the word “gender.” “Gender nonconformity” is a familiar and well-understood phrase, so it will also be used Continuation of paragraph from previous image, found on page 39 of the HHS report: "(although some may prefer “sex-stereotype nonconformity”). As already indicated, “pediatric gender medicine” (PGM) will be used for the clinical field that treats children and adolescents with GD, sometimes with medical interventions. Instead of the term “gender-affirming care” this Review will use “PMT” (pediatric medical transition), as in phrases such as “the PMT approach.” This is more accurate and carries no positive or negative connotation. The PMT approach does not always involve hormones or surgeries, but some of its proponents do tend to view even social transition as an initial step toward medical transition. The older term “cross-sex hormones” (CSH) is more neutral and informative than “gender-affirming hormone therapy.” Surgeries to alter sex characteristics for adolescents will be given medically standard, clinical, neutral descriptions—e.g. “mastectomy.” Finally, the older term “sex reassignment surgery” (SRS) will be used rather than the more recent “gender confirmation surgery.”
May 1, 2025 at 8:09 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
POINT 4: There is an 11pg chapter criticizing the *language* of gender-affirming care, including petty complaints such as:
- referring to patients as "(young) people" and not "children"
- "top surgery" doesn't make it clear that breasts are removed
- "affirming" is too positive/ not neutral
Text from the HHS report on page 30: "Word choices can obscure patients’ young ages. Terms such as “people” or “folks” are sometimes used by proponents of medicalized interventions instead of “children” or “adolescents.” It is frequently emphasized that prepubertal children are not prescribed hormones or surgeries. That is true. However, clinical guidelines recommend initiating puberty blockers (PBs) at pubertal onset, which can occur at 8 or 9 years old—meaning that such interventions may be started during childhood. In discussions of this recommendation, “young people” or “adolescents” are sometimes substituted for “children.” Again, this helps camouflage the fact that sometimes serious medical interventions are performed on children’s healthy bodies." Quote from HHS report pg 31: The problems go deeper. The terminology of “sex,” “male,” and “female” is indispensable if the medical and ethical issues are to be discussed responsibly. And yet proponents of medicalization go to extraordinary lengths to avoid the plain use of these words, and related words such as “boy” and “girl.” When “sex” is defined, the definition is rarely correct, and in any case the preferred phrase is “sex assigned at birth.” According to the ES’s “Clinical Practice Guideline for the treatment of GenderDysphoric/Gender-Incongruent Persons,” “the terms biological sex and biological male or female are imprecise and should be avoided.” Pediatric female patients are not “girls” or “young women,” but rather “AFAB individuals” (people “assigned female at Continuation of quote from previous image, on page 32 of the HHS report "birth”). Some authorities in PGM say that the patients wanting mastectomies are in fact “young men.” "Assigned sex at birth” is not a harmless euphemism. It suggests an arbitrary decision— not unlike “assigned seating”—rather than the observation of a characteristic present long before birth, namely the child’s sex. Moreover, if the phrase “assigned sex” were intended merely as a gentler way of referring to sex in conversations with patients and families, one would expect more direct language to be used in the specialty medical literature. In professional contexts, where clarity is paramount, euphemisms are generally avoided. Yet “assigned sex” is ubiquitous in clinical and academic publications. Not only that: use of such terminology is now mandated by certain medical journals. The American Psychological Association (APA) style guide, for example, classifies “birth sex” and “natal sex” as “disparaging terms” which problematically “imply that sex is an immutable characteristic." As law professor Jessica Clarke observes, “‘Sex assigned at birth’ is not a euphemism for ‘biological sex’ but a critique of the very concept.”
May 1, 2025 at 8:09 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
POINT 1: Ah yes, 'specialized' committees like:
- American Medical Association
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- American Heart Association
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons
- Endocrine Society
-American Psychological Association
Text from pg 15 of the Executive Summary of the HHS report that reads: "U.S. medical associations played a key role in creating a perception that there is professional consensus in support of pediatric medical transition. This apparent consensus, however, is driven primarily by a small number of specialized committees, influenced by WPATH. It is not clear that the official views of these associations are shared by the wider medical community, or even by most of their members. There is evidence that some medical and mental health associations have suppressed dissent and stifled debate about this issue among their members."
May 1, 2025 at 4:48 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
Why do we do this to ourselves?
Giant bottle of manischewitz Concord grape wine at a Seder table. Too large of a bottle, to be honest
April 13, 2025 at 3:04 AM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
Yesterday, today, tomorrow,the answer is always WOULD
Screen shot of Jeff goldblum in Jurassic Park, with his shirt fully unbuttoned
April 12, 2025 at 4:20 AM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
This is my plug for Glengarry Glen Ross
Playbill for Glengarry Glen Ross (red text font on white background under yellow playbill logo) being held by a hand against backdrop of Broadway stage and audience
April 11, 2025 at 6:11 AM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
lol I was on @lastweektonight.com this week ???
Photo of John Oliver sitting at his desk on “Last Week Tonight” with an insert photo of a report (CAP logo, followed by title “Fair Play: The Importance of Sports Participation for Trans Youth”) and a quote from the report “The benefits —physiological, social, and emotional—of participating in school sports teams and athletics is wide-ranging”
April 8, 2025 at 1:35 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
And re-adding a new post with a bit about me and what I'm looking for--now with alt text added!
Who: Me, your friend Shoshana, who has expertise/experience in the following Topic areas - LGBTQ+ health/policy (all age groups; intersectional approaches; etc) - Sexual and reproductive health and justice/ family planning / abortion - Social/Structural determinants of health - Health Disparities, equity, DEI - HIV/AIDS; HIV Criminalization Policy - Public health /Epidemiology Skills - Quantitative analysis (STATA / SAS /MPlus) using both survey data/large scale population based datasets, and convenience samples - Legal and policy analysis, including quantifying impact of laws on daily life - Data visualization and report design (Canva) - Web content creation (Craft) - Qualitative analysis (Dedoose / Atlas.TI) - Survey and questionnaire design - Managing a team - Monitoring & evaluation (& learning / MEL) Skills continued: - Academic/Scientific writing (e.g. peer-reviewed manuscripts and grants) - Public education writing (e.g. fact sheets/reports/blogs) - Advocacy writing (toplines, talking points, internal memos and backgrounders) - Public speaking (conferences, webinars, teaching) - Public communication /Interfacing with the press (radio, tv, print, online) What: Ultimately, I'm looking for a job. Full-time is preferred, but open to part-time and contract/project/consultant work as well. At this stage, I'm also looking for introductions, informational interviews, coffee chats to strategize next steps, and any other help you might provide. Some job titles that might make sense for me are: Researcher (/Research Fellow / Research Director/ Research Associate); Data Analyst (/Data Analytics); Policy Analyst; Program Officer I am also intrigued with ways I can offer writing and/or data support for journalists, advocates, lawyers/litigators/legal researchers, etc. Where: NYC and/or remote. Locally, I am open to hybrid and in-office positions. Industry: Ideally non-profit, civil society, and advocacy orgs, preferably in LGBTQ+, reproductive justice, democracy, or DEI/equity spaces. Foundation work is also appealing. I'm also open to new opportunities and domains/industries I might not have considered (UX design? people analytics? who knows!). Given the current moment we find ourselves in, I'm aware a career pivot may be needed, and would love your thoughts on areas to explore that might not be on my radar. When: Now? Ideally I'd like to start work in early April, but open to earlier and later start dates. Why: #2025Bitches How can you help?: Send me any opportunities or leads you may know of. Forward this along to your friends or colleagues who might be good for me to know. Scroll through your LinkedIn, and see if anyone is doing work that could be a good match. And if you're in NYC, let's meet for a coffee/run/walk/movie/drink/etc. --anything that gets me away from obsessively doomscrolling through LinkedIn.
March 21, 2025 at 3:17 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
Friends, have you ever baking failed so hard you made an entirely different cookie shape than intended?
Blue sheet pan with several exploded /deformed/discolored hamantaschen Blue sheet pan with several exploded /deformed /discolored hamantaschen
March 16, 2025 at 7:48 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
Anti-woke = broke
February 28, 2025 at 3:54 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
For more info on me, my LinkedIn is: linkedin.com/in/skgoldberg

For more info on what I’m looking for, see the summary below
February 26, 2025 at 11:38 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
And for those who are abandoning the LGBTQ+ community, this data also makes clear -- you do so at your own peril.

My own research shows that LGBTQ+ people will boycott companies that cut their support, and leave states and jobs where they (and their families) are not welcome.
February 20, 2025 at 6:22 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
LGBTQ+ FACT OF THE DAY:

~1 in 10 (9.3%) US adults identify as LGBTQ+, as reported today by Gallup

This is over double that of a decade before.

And while driven by higher identification in younger generations, each age group has seen increases over time

news.gallup.com/poll/656708/...
February 20, 2025 at 6:22 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
At the same time, disparities have persisted:

Girls, POC, and LGBTQ+ youth (stat earlier in thread) are all substantially more likely to experience poor mental health, even as overall trends have improved.
February 17, 2025 at 11:43 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
Why does this matter?

Our youth have been experiencing an escalating mental health crisis over the past decade.

Yet we were starting to see some glimmers of hope:

While the % of youth experiencing persistent sadness INCREASED 33% over the last decade, it had DECREASED in recent years
February 17, 2025 at 11:43 PM
goldbergsk.bsky.social
LOL forgot to post a link to the actual report:

hrc-prod-requests.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/files/docume...
February 5, 2025 at 6:01 PM