Paisley Currah
@paisleycurrah.com
My speciality: government decisions on sex classification. CUNY. Institute for Advanced Study, 2024-25. Wrote Sex is as Sex Does. Dad, dog companion, kayaker. n+1, Boston Review, Nature, New Yorker, New York Review, Yale Review.
www.paisleycurrah.com
www.paisleycurrah.com
Pinned
Paisley Currah
@paisleycurrah.com
· May 28
Donald Trump’s War on Gender Is Also a War on Government
By forcing rigid definitions of sex across all federal agencies, Republicans are undermining the administrative state’s capacity to protect public health and safety.
www.newyorker.com
My piece on the havoc wrought by Trump's "Defending Women" executive order--it goes far beyond harming trans people.
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Just when you think it can't get worse, it does....
1. The Trump administration has just quietly updated the State Department website to indicate that it may invalidate transgender people's passports.
This comes a week after a SCOTUS ruling blocking lower rulings allowing trans people to update them.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
This comes a week after a SCOTUS ruling blocking lower rulings allowing trans people to update them.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
Trump Admin Quietly Changes State Department Page To Indicate It May Invalidate Trans Passports
The change comes after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the administration and lifted a temporary injunction.
www.erininthemorning.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Just when you think it can't get worse, it does....
Reposted by Paisley Currah
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
November 14, 2025 at 1:17 PM
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
As I wrote in Sex Is as Sex Does, in the past, even "red" states let people change the sex marker on their ID--because it's in the state's interest to do so. @mashagessen.bsky.social's column today is on Trump's shift to using sex markers to enforce social hierarchies.
nyupress.org/978081471710...
nyupress.org/978081471710...
Sex Is as Sex Does
Winner, Sexuality and Politics Book Award - American Political Science AssociationFinalist, PROSE Award - Government and PoliticsWhat the evolving fight for ...
nyupress.org
November 9, 2025 at 1:48 PM
As I wrote in Sex Is as Sex Does, in the past, even "red" states let people change the sex marker on their ID--because it's in the state's interest to do so. @mashagessen.bsky.social's column today is on Trump's shift to using sex markers to enforce social hierarchies.
nyupress.org/978081471710...
nyupress.org/978081471710...
Reposted by Paisley Currah
A List of Things Said to Have Been Ruined by Women
🧵
🧵
November 6, 2025 at 8:43 PM
A List of Things Said to Have Been Ruined by Women
🧵
🧵
Supreme Court lets Trump put birth sex on passports because, a majority of justices say, "the Government is likely to succeed on the merits" when they hear the case. Apparently, they think the United States (& not trans people?) will suffer "irreparable injury"
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
25A319
www.documentcloud.org
November 6, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Supreme Court lets Trump put birth sex on passports because, a majority of justices say, "the Government is likely to succeed on the merits" when they hear the case. Apparently, they think the United States (& not trans people?) will suffer "irreparable injury"
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Headline change from this morning, I see. Probably meant what they said the first time. Liberal feminism doesn't really work as a euphemism for women.
November 6, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Headline change from this morning, I see. Probably meant what they said the first time. Liberal feminism doesn't really work as a euphemism for women.
Dems following Carville’s advice I see: “It’s time for the Democrats to embark on the most daring political maneuver in the history of our party: roll over and play dead.” (February 2025)
1. A new guide has been released by some of the top names in Democratic politics encouraging Dems to act more like Republicans on "identity and cultural issues."
It becomes clear exactly what that means: queer and trans people.
I argue against it in my latest.
Subscribe to support my journalism.
It becomes clear exactly what that means: queer and trans people.
I argue against it in my latest.
Subscribe to support my journalism.
Top Democratic Officials Target Their Most Vulnerable Constituents In New Strategy Document
Top Democratic officials put out a new guide, entitled "Deciding to Win," that encourages Democrats to be a little more like Republicans on "identity and cultural issues."
www.erininthemorning.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Dems following Carville’s advice I see: “It’s time for the Democrats to embark on the most daring political maneuver in the history of our party: roll over and play dead.” (February 2025)
Turns out Trump's "Defending Women" executive order is not, in fact, about defending women's health. It has led to the removal of of a lot of crucial information about women's health. This just out in a peer reviewed article by Patricia Homan and Susan Short. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Rewriting women's health: a content analysis of the Trump administration's revisions to womenshealth.gov
In 2025, the Trump administration instituted rapid changes to the data and information available on US government websites. We conducted a content ana…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Turns out Trump's "Defending Women" executive order is not, in fact, about defending women's health. It has led to the removal of of a lot of crucial information about women's health. This just out in a peer reviewed article by Patricia Homan and Susan Short. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Paisley Currah
W/ @genevievelakier.bsky.social, the @aaup.org today released a letter to the Offices of the General Counsel at US colleges & universities. We detail why the Compact violates the Constitution & urge that no one signs it.
www.aaup.org/sites/defaul...
www.aaup.org/sites/defaul...
www.aaup.org
October 20, 2025 at 4:04 PM
W/ @genevievelakier.bsky.social, the @aaup.org today released a letter to the Offices of the General Counsel at US colleges & universities. We detail why the Compact violates the Constitution & urge that no one signs it.
www.aaup.org/sites/defaul...
www.aaup.org/sites/defaul...
Or, as @lornab.bsky.social put it, don't let UT Austin succeed in its bid to become the University of Austin
October 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Or, as @lornab.bsky.social put it, don't let UT Austin succeed in its bid to become the University of Austin
This decision by UT’s administration is not driven by any educational reasons--UT administrators are bowing to a national political attack on the freedom to learn by censoring subjects and silencing departments. The state should not be telling administrators what their students can study.
October 16, 2025 at 2:16 PM
This decision by UT’s administration is not driven by any educational reasons--UT administrators are bowing to a national political attack on the freedom to learn by censoring subjects and silencing departments. The state should not be telling administrators what their students can study.
Politico reports on Cuomo's record of defunding CUNY--devastating. A vote for Cuomo in this year's mayoral race is a vote to decimate CUNY and affordable public higher education once again. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
Cuomo’s controversial CUNY record resurfaces as affordability concerns dominate mayor’s race
Advocates, union leaders and lawmakers have criticized his previous push to cut state aid.
www.politico.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Politico reports on Cuomo's record of defunding CUNY--devastating. A vote for Cuomo in this year's mayoral race is a vote to decimate CUNY and affordable public higher education once again. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
Love this guy. The kind of Democratic we need.
UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera
In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.
As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.
In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.
As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.
October 11, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Love this guy. The kind of Democratic we need.
This is amazing--The Senate of the Commonwealth of Virginia tells University of Virginia leadership that if UVA signs Trump's Compact for Higher Education, “there will be significant consequences in future Virginia budget cycles" bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/cbs19news.co...
bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com
October 9, 2025 at 8:18 PM
This is amazing--The Senate of the Commonwealth of Virginia tells University of Virginia leadership that if UVA signs Trump's Compact for Higher Education, “there will be significant consequences in future Virginia budget cycles" bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/cbs19news.co...
Reposted by Paisley Currah
AAUP v. Rubio is out, and look at how it starts. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
September 30, 2025 at 4:37 PM
AAUP v. Rubio is out, and look at how it starts. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Texas Tech Moves to Limit Academic Discussion to 2 Genders www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/u...
Texas Tech Moves to Limit Academic Discussion to 2 Genders
www.nytimes.com
September 27, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Texas Tech Moves to Limit Academic Discussion to 2 Genders www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/u...
Reposted by Paisley Currah
Make a plan now to join the PSC, a growing number of other unions, & community groups to protest ICE’s abuses in the courtrooms & in our communities, resist the deployment of federal troops in our city, & demand state legislation to protect immigrants.
tinyurl.com/NYersAgainst...
tinyurl.com/NYersAgainst...
September 22, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Make a plan now to join the PSC, a growing number of other unions, & community groups to protest ICE’s abuses in the courtrooms & in our communities, resist the deployment of federal troops in our city, & demand state legislation to protect immigrants.
tinyurl.com/NYersAgainst...
tinyurl.com/NYersAgainst...
Reposted by Paisley Currah
I looked into the group and the guy pushing the FBI to create a new designation of “transgender ideology–inspired violence and extremism”—itself a political project, meant to conflate the fact of trans people’s existence with extremism.
The Right’s Baseless Project to Link Trans People With Extremism
A campaign for the FBI to adopt a new designation of “transgender ideology–inspired violence and extremism” is less about law enforcement than politics.
newrepublic.com
September 25, 2025 at 11:40 AM
I looked into the group and the guy pushing the FBI to create a new designation of “transgender ideology–inspired violence and extremism”—itself a political project, meant to conflate the fact of trans people’s existence with extremism.
Reposted by Paisley Currah
This is really great reporting from Mother Jones - the "godfather" of evidence-based medicine disavows the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine for misusing his work. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Trans health care "skeptics" lost a key ally—now they're having a meltdown
The godfather of evidence-based medicine on rejecting anti-trans "misuse" of his work.
www.motherjones.com
September 24, 2025 at 7:41 PM
This is really great reporting from Mother Jones - the "godfather" of evidence-based medicine disavows the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine for misusing his work. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I think of pronouns as part of grammar of civility. It's simply common courtesy to use the pronoun someone prefers. "These codes of neighborliness or of common decency are...the bare minimum for us to exist peacefully as profoundly different people who nevertheless share the same time and place."
"Common decency stigmatizes people that do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply."
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
How Can We Live Together? - Boston Review
Ezra Klein is wrong: shame is essential.
www.bostonreview.net
September 23, 2025 at 6:38 PM
I think of pronouns as part of grammar of civility. It's simply common courtesy to use the pronoun someone prefers. "These codes of neighborliness or of common decency are...the bare minimum for us to exist peacefully as profoundly different people who nevertheless share the same time and place."
Reposted by Paisley Currah
What it sounds like when philosophers who are also anti-trans activists submit an amicus brief to a US court where they argue for banning trans girls and women from women's sports.
September 22, 2025 at 7:52 PM
What it sounds like when philosophers who are also anti-trans activists submit an amicus brief to a US court where they argue for banning trans girls and women from women's sports.
The sickening feeling when you realize the institutions of civil society are much worse than you thought—Berkeley handing over 160 names, & what will ensue now that the FBI is targeting trans people as “violent extremists”? Excellent column by @mashagessen.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/09/21/o...
Opinion | I Look at This Country and I See a Stranger
www.nytimes.com
September 21, 2025 at 3:13 PM
The sickening feeling when you realize the institutions of civil society are much worse than you thought—Berkeley handing over 160 names, & what will ensue now that the FBI is targeting trans people as “violent extremists”? Excellent column by @mashagessen.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/09/21/o...
A powerful op-ed about MAGA's fixation on trans issues from @polgreen.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/o...
September 19, 2025 at 12:58 PM
A powerful op-ed about MAGA's fixation on trans issues from @polgreen.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/o...
Reposted by Paisley Currah
The FBI is preparing to label transgender people as “violent extremists” in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder:
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/fbi-readie...
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/fbi-readie...
FBI Readies New War on Trans People
“We’re looking at the entire web”
www.kenklippenstein.com
September 18, 2025 at 11:18 PM
The FBI is preparing to label transgender people as “violent extremists” in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder:
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/fbi-readie...
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/fbi-readie...