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Alejandra Caraballo

@esqueer.net.bsky.social

πŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈπŸ‡΅πŸ‡· Clinical Instructor, Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic. Gender & Tech. Views = my own. She/Her. Read my work at thedissident.news

210,609 Followers  |  1,589 Following  |  16,057 Posts  |  Joined: 20.04.2023
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Posts by Alejandra Caraballo (@esqueer.net.bsky.social)

I lack the words to capture it, but ... it's just endlessly remarkable to me that so many people in our society have chosen trans kis -- TRANS KIDS, the smallest, least significant, most vulnerable demographic slice you could possibly pick -- as a repository for all their fears & insecurities.

06.03.2026 19:57 β€” πŸ‘ 1289    πŸ” 319    πŸ’¬ 38    πŸ“Œ 34
Preview
Rogan Calls Trans People β€œPerverts,” Spreads School Shooting Lies On Show This week, on The Joe Rogan Experience: Steve-O and more anti-trans hate.

1. Yesterday, Joe Rogan called transgender people perverts and school shooters to his audience of tens of millions of people.

It was his most overt display of transphobia yet.

Democrats wanted to court this man and his listeners.

The latest from our journalist, S. Baum.

06.03.2026 20:28 β€” πŸ‘ 631    πŸ” 161    πŸ’¬ 35    πŸ“Œ 16
ELECTIONS
Trump asks why US can't use nukes:
MSNBC
PUBLISHED WED, AUG 3 2016 8:05 AM EDT
UPDATED WED, AUG 3 2016 3:01 PM EDT
Matthew J. Belvedere
@MATT_BELVEDERE
WATCH LIVE
VIDEO
1:20
Trump reportedly asks why US can't use nukes: MSNBC

ELECTIONS Trump asks why US can't use nukes: MSNBC PUBLISHED WED, AUG 3 2016 8:05 AM EDT UPDATED WED, AUG 3 2016 3:01 PM EDT Matthew J. Belvedere @MATT_BELVEDERE WATCH LIVE VIDEO 1:20 Trump reportedly asks why US can't use nukes: MSNBC

Donald Trump asked a foreign policy expert advising him why the U.S. can't use nuclear weapons, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough said on the air Wednesday, citing an unnamed source who claimed he had spoken with the GOP presidential nominee.
"Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump. And three times [Trump] asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times he asked at one point if we had them why can't we use them," Scarborough said on his "Morning Joe" program.

Donald Trump asked a foreign policy expert advising him why the U.S. can't use nuclear weapons, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough said on the air Wednesday, citing an unnamed source who claimed he had spoken with the GOP presidential nominee. "Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump. And three times [Trump] asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times he asked at one point if we had them why can't we use them," Scarborough said on his "Morning Joe" program.

I will just say it out loud:

I am very concerned Trump will use a tactical nuclear weapon in his quest for a quick victory over Iran.

I am reminded of the story from 2016, when Trump reportedly asked three times in a single briefing why nuclear weapons couldn’t be used:

06.03.2026 14:25 β€” πŸ‘ 396    πŸ” 120    πŸ’¬ 38    πŸ“Œ 13

Oh absolutely. I'm trying to vary it up a bit but right now I'm gravitating towards people who felt trapped in their moment in time, realizing how fucked everything is and being unable to do anything about it.

06.03.2026 14:44 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I only read nonfiction. My reading list is long form doom scrolling. Currently rereading notes of a native son by James Baldwin.

06.03.2026 14:38 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

It's 1992, there's a Republican president with a war in the middle east and a recession.

It's 2008, there's a Republican president with a war in the middle east and a recession.

It's 2026, there's a Republican president with a war in the middle east...

06.03.2026 14:35 β€” πŸ‘ 895    πŸ” 243    πŸ’¬ 18    πŸ“Œ 7

It's funny watching the NYT come on bluesky to argue with its critics.

06.03.2026 14:32 β€” πŸ‘ 252    πŸ” 25    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 0
District Court | Douglas County KS The 7th Judicial District Court of Kansas includes court divisions, Clerk of the District Court, Court Trustee, Court Services, Citizen Review Board and the Self-Help office.

At 1:30 Central/2:30 Eastern, my colleague @harperseldin.bsky.social will be in state court in Kansas asking a judge to block the new law that invalidated the driver's licenses of trans people across the state. You can tune into the hearing here

06.03.2026 14:27 β€” πŸ‘ 299    πŸ” 62    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 4

High gas prices, war in the middle east, unpopular president, soaring unemployment. Welcome back second term Bush administration.

06.03.2026 13:57 β€” πŸ‘ 943    πŸ” 202    πŸ’¬ 36    πŸ“Œ 12

The Green party has been unapologetically supportive of trans people and they took a seat from Labour after they gave cracked down on trans people. Liberal parties cannot abandon trans people without losing their base.

06.03.2026 13:50 β€” πŸ‘ 413    πŸ” 73    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 0

"'From the get-go, he didn't like that I was a boy-girl' (referencing a tomboy)...TRUMP mentioned something to the effect of 'Let me teach you how little girls are supposed to be.'"

06.03.2026 01:35 β€” πŸ‘ 407    πŸ” 126    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 4
Preview
Trans Porn Is Booming. Trans Rights Are Fading We asked trans adult creators about the complicated link between desire and politics, as trans porn is booming while rights fade.

Interesting interview in Playboy with transgender adult content creators. People often point to Pornhub stats showing trans content is more popular than ever as a contradiction, as if political and sexual objectification were ever mutually exclusive

06.03.2026 01:09 β€” πŸ‘ 1464    πŸ” 313    πŸ’¬ 25    πŸ“Œ 25

Steve-O got a ruptured testicle by letting one of his castmates jump on his crotch with a pogo stick and he is unquestionably more morally sophisticated than most of our sitting lawmakers

06.03.2026 00:02 β€” πŸ‘ 1777    πŸ” 216    πŸ’¬ 16    πŸ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Steve-O was on Joe Rogan's show trying to defend trans people and Rogan went off, he called trans people "fucking perverts" and "mass shooters" who have done the majority of school shootings.

Completely unhinged bigotry paid for by your Spotify subscriptions.

05.03.2026 19:30 β€” πŸ‘ 3789    πŸ” 841    πŸ’¬ 212    πŸ“Œ 284

I'm going to take a wild guess that none of those people were trans.

05.03.2026 21:53 β€” πŸ‘ 410    πŸ” 48    πŸ’¬ 15    πŸ“Œ 3
Video thumbnail

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Kristi Noem.

05.03.2026 19:11 β€” πŸ‘ 22147    πŸ” 4892    πŸ’¬ 745    πŸ“Œ 395
An image titled "The Podcast Charts" from Spotify, displaying a ranked list of the Top 10 Podcasts in the United States.

The list is presented against a dark blue background with gold and green accents:

    The Joe Rogan Experience – Joe Rogan (indicated as trending up)

    The Daily – The New York Times (indicated as trending up)

    The Shawn Ryan Show – Shawn Ryan Show (indicated as trending up)

    Crime Junkie – audiochuck (indicated as trending up)

    The Tucker Carlson Show – Tucker Carlson Network (indicated as trending up)

    This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von – Theo Von (indicated as trending down)

    Up First from NPR – NPR (indicated as trending up)

    Good Hang with Amy Poehler – The Ringer (indicated as trending up)

    Huberman Lab – Scicomm Media (indicated as trending down)

    Candace – Candace Owens (indicated as trending up)

Each entry includes the show's cover art, title, creator, a "Follow" and "Share" button, and a small green or red arrow indicating its current chart movement.

An image titled "The Podcast Charts" from Spotify, displaying a ranked list of the Top 10 Podcasts in the United States. The list is presented against a dark blue background with gold and green accents: The Joe Rogan Experience – Joe Rogan (indicated as trending up) The Daily – The New York Times (indicated as trending up) The Shawn Ryan Show – Shawn Ryan Show (indicated as trending up) Crime Junkie – audiochuck (indicated as trending up) The Tucker Carlson Show – Tucker Carlson Network (indicated as trending up) This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von – Theo Von (indicated as trending down) Up First from NPR – NPR (indicated as trending up) Good Hang with Amy Poehler – The Ringer (indicated as trending up) Huberman Lab – Scicomm Media (indicated as trending down) Candace – Candace Owens (indicated as trending up) Each entry includes the show's cover art, title, creator, a "Follow" and "Share" button, and a small green or red arrow indicating its current chart movement.

This is bleak.

05.03.2026 19:58 β€” πŸ‘ 967    πŸ” 52    πŸ’¬ 38    πŸ“Œ 29

wow Rogan is *deep* into anti-trans conspiracy nonsense, reciting all their talking points note for note

05.03.2026 19:45 β€” πŸ‘ 662    πŸ” 100    πŸ’¬ 11    πŸ“Œ 2

Steve-O probably could've handled it better but he was at least trying to share empathy he had for a trans fan he met at the beginning and was bombarded by an angry bigoted rant from Rogan.

05.03.2026 19:38 β€” πŸ‘ 1481    πŸ” 43    πŸ’¬ 23    πŸ“Œ 3
Video thumbnail

Rogan baselessly asserted that the majority of school shootings are trans shooters.

This is going out to millions of people.

05.03.2026 19:30 β€” πŸ‘ 1414    πŸ” 139    πŸ’¬ 45    πŸ“Œ 32
Video thumbnail

Steve-O was on Joe Rogan's show trying to defend trans people and Rogan went off, he called trans people "fucking perverts" and "mass shooters" who have done the majority of school shootings.

Completely unhinged bigotry paid for by your Spotify subscriptions.

05.03.2026 19:30 β€” πŸ‘ 3789    πŸ” 841    πŸ’¬ 212    πŸ“Œ 284
I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026. The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at β€œHomeland.”
 
Serving 10 years in the United States House of Representatives, and 3 in the Senate, Markwayne has done a tremendous job representing the wonderful People of Oklahoma, where I won all 77 out of 77 Counties β€” in 2016, 2020, and 2024! A MAGA Warrior, and former undefeated professional MMA fighter, Markwayne truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda. As the only Native American in the Senate, Markwayne is a fantastic advocate for our incredible Tribal Communities. Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026. The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at β€œHomeland.” Serving 10 years in the United States House of Representatives, and 3 in the Senate, Markwayne has done a tremendous job representing the wonderful People of Oklahoma, where I won all 77 out of 77 Counties β€” in 2016, 2020, and 2024! A MAGA Warrior, and former undefeated professional MMA fighter, Markwayne truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda. As the only Native American in the Senate, Markwayne is a fantastic advocate for our incredible Tribal Communities. Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

And there it is, Kristi Noem is out at DHS and Trump intends to nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin for the position.

05.03.2026 18:50 β€” πŸ‘ 174    πŸ” 31    πŸ’¬ 16    πŸ“Œ 7
This image is a screenshot of a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article headline. Here is the descriptive text:
WSJ Article: Trump Is Preparing to Fire Kristi Noem

    Headline: Trump Is Preparing to Fire Kristi Noem

    Subheader: The Homeland Security secretary’s combative Senate hearing this week was a key factor, advisers say

    Authors: Josh Dawsey, Tarini Parti, and Michelle Hackman

    Updated Date: March 5, 2026, 1:05 pm ET

    Categories: Exclusive, Policy

This image is a screenshot of a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article headline. Here is the descriptive text: WSJ Article: Trump Is Preparing to Fire Kristi Noem Headline: Trump Is Preparing to Fire Kristi Noem Subheader: The Homeland Security secretary’s combative Senate hearing this week was a key factor, advisers say Authors: Josh Dawsey, Tarini Parti, and Michelle Hackman Updated Date: March 5, 2026, 1:05 pm ET Categories: Exclusive, Policy

Firing is not enough. She needs to go to prison for what she's done.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

05.03.2026 18:39 β€” πŸ‘ 366    πŸ” 55    πŸ’¬ 10    πŸ“Œ 2

It's no surprise he's a ML engineer out of silicon valley. If there's any defining feature of the SV crowd it's the chutzpah to believe they're the only ones who have thought of something when they try to offer solutions to something they know nothing about. Peak Dunning-Kruger effect.

05.03.2026 18:22 β€” πŸ‘ 220    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

The absurd level of hubris it takes to come in to an issue he knows nothing about and begin telling people being persecuted, "well, have you tried this?" after those people have already tried it. It's consultant brained thinking you'd get from some 23 year old McKinsey associate.

05.03.2026 18:17 β€” πŸ‘ 231    πŸ” 12    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

The corollary here would be if states already had marriage equality for years and a backlash saw states banning those marriages. That's what is happening to trans people here. So you can't compare the two. We already had major meaningful incremental policy wins built over decades of advocacy.

05.03.2026 18:17 β€” πŸ‘ 208    πŸ” 20    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
The concluding section of the article, which notes that marriage equality activists accepted "half-measures like civil unions" as intermediate steps, whereas the future of trans rights remains "fragile" and "up for debate."

The concluding section of the article, which notes that marriage equality activists accepted "half-measures like civil unions" as intermediate steps, whereas the future of trans rights remains "fragile" and "up for debate."

The fundamental difference here is that trans people are not asking for something new, we're asking for our current protections to not be stripped away. Bostock is the already the law of the land. Access to gender affirming care or even competing in sports were available for decades.

05.03.2026 18:17 β€” πŸ‘ 207    πŸ” 25    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 2
Text discussing the "no debate" posture of some activists, calling it "self-defeating" because it allows opponents to fill the silence with their own framing.

Text discussing the "no debate" posture of some activists, calling it "self-defeating" because it allows opponents to fill the silence with their own framing.

Twitter has completely lobotomized the entirety of the centrist pundit class. We've been having "debate" for decades.

What's changed is how a money backed hate movement weaponized the debate much as anti-vaxx and climate denial groups do with media all too happy to both sides it.

05.03.2026 18:17 β€” πŸ‘ 227    πŸ” 27    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
Forcing these people to use the bathrooms of their pre-transition sex is clearly discriminatory, and it could easily be framed as a β€œfairness” issue if you focused on that. Similarly, the state of Kansas is now forcing trans people to forfeit their existing drivers’ licenses and relabel them with their birth gender.

These are ridiculous policies and textbook examples of discrimination. If progressives fought exclusively on issues like these, I think they could still win the larger war.

But if activists argue that trans athletes have no biological advantage, people simply aren’t buying it. If anything, that’s where the public firmly believes that fairness tips the other way, that it’s unfair to cis women to allow trans women like Lia Thomas, who was previously a male collegiate swimmer, to compete in women’s sporting competitions.

On youth transition, the strategic posture similarly has to become more nuanced than either β€œgender-affirming care saves lives, full stop” or β€œban everything.” The more easily defensible path that still protects trans youth is that parents and doctors should be making individualized decisions, the same way they do for any medical question that comes up for children.

Forcing these people to use the bathrooms of their pre-transition sex is clearly discriminatory, and it could easily be framed as a β€œfairness” issue if you focused on that. Similarly, the state of Kansas is now forcing trans people to forfeit their existing drivers’ licenses and relabel them with their birth gender. These are ridiculous policies and textbook examples of discrimination. If progressives fought exclusively on issues like these, I think they could still win the larger war. But if activists argue that trans athletes have no biological advantage, people simply aren’t buying it. If anything, that’s where the public firmly believes that fairness tips the other way, that it’s unfair to cis women to allow trans women like Lia Thomas, who was previously a male collegiate swimmer, to compete in women’s sporting competitions. On youth transition, the strategic posture similarly has to become more nuanced than either β€œgender-affirming care saves lives, full stop” or β€œban everything.” The more easily defensible path that still protects trans youth is that parents and doctors should be making individualized decisions, the same way they do for any medical question that comes up for children.

(Human Rights Campaign): A resource page titled "Get the Facts on Gender-Affirming Care." The highlighted text states: "Every person has the fundamental right to access the health care they need without fear of discrimination, prejudice, or barriers to treatment that supports their mental, physical, and emotional well-being."

(Human Rights Campaign): A resource page titled "Get the Facts on Gender-Affirming Care." The highlighted text states: "Every person has the fundamental right to access the health care they need without fear of discrimination, prejudice, or barriers to treatment that supports their mental, physical, and emotional well-being."

(ACLU): A press release from December 18, 2025, titled "ACLU Will Challenge Trump Administration’s Unconstitutional Effort to Ban Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Youth." The highlighted text calls the ban an "unprecedented federal intrusion into the private medical decisions of families and their doctors."

(ACLU): A press release from December 18, 2025, titled "ACLU Will Challenge Trump Administration’s Unconstitutional Effort to Ban Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Youth." The highlighted text calls the ban an "unprecedented federal intrusion into the private medical decisions of families and their doctors."

(Lambda Legal): A news release detailing legal challenges against executive orders. The highlighted portion mentions an executive order "calling for widespread discrimination against transgender people in their public and private lives," including bans on military service and updating passports.

(Lambda Legal): A news release detailing legal challenges against executive orders. The highlighted portion mentions an executive order "calling for widespread discrimination against transgender people in their public and private lives," including bans on military service and updating passports.

Did he ever sit there and stop and wonder why trans people in sports became an issue in the first place rather than the framing of discrimination from bathroom fights and identity documents? On GAC, the argument of letting parents and doctors decide is the argument LGBTQ orgs have been making!

05.03.2026 18:17 β€” πŸ‘ 215    πŸ” 12    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0
The headline reads "How to win a culture war from behind" with the subheader: "Marriage equality won by changing the question. Trans rights activists are fighting on the wrong terrain." It is dated March 5, 2026.

The headline reads "How to win a culture war from behind" with the subheader: "Marriage equality won by changing the question. Trans rights activists are fighting on the wrong terrain." It is dated March 5, 2026.

Has Lakshya ever actually talked to a trans person about any of this? He prognosticates on what the trans movement should do while ignoring what we've actually done. Just absolutely inane stuff.

05.03.2026 18:17 β€” πŸ‘ 725    πŸ” 75    πŸ’¬ 15    πŸ“Œ 12