In the Age of Trump, We Need Cutting-Edge Humanities More Than Ever
The latest academic hoax emerges from the same ideological position as the Trump administration's attack on trans rights.
David M. Perry
David M. Perry is a former professor of history, contributing writer at Pacific Standard, and freelance journalist focused on disability, parenting, history, and education. He's currently senior academic advisor to the Department of History at the University of Minnesota.
You Can't Create Good Gun Policy by Stigmatizing the Mentally Ill
Everytown for Gun Safety is playing into the NRA's hands with its Minnesota campaign.
How to Run for Office If You Have a Disability
The National Council on Independent Living is starting to track disabled candidates and train them to run.
How the News Flubbed a Hate Crime in Kentucky
The social media profile of a murderer in Kentucky shows ample evidence of racism—so why did the media focus primarily on his schizophrenia?
Your Disabled Child Is Not a Prop
Sarah Palin used pictures of her son Trig to demean liberals. She's not the only special needs parent to exploit images of her kids.
#HimToo Should Be a Conversation About Male Victims of Sexual Assault
Conservatives are trying to use #HimToo to defend Kavanaugh and Trump.
Kwame Rockwell Will Be the Next Disabled Person Executed by America
America's courts still don't have clear protections for defendants with severe mental illness.
Given the Keith Ellison Allegations, What's a Democrat in Minnesota to Do?
Our choice for attorney general is between a bigot and a possible domestic abuser.
How to Beat ICE in Your Hometown? Run for Sheriff.
A day with Dave Hutchinson, a veteran police officer running to unseat the anti-immigrant sheriff of Hennepin County, Minnesota.
How to Keep the Internet of Things From Killing Us All
Author Bruce Schneier warns about the coming hyper-networked world where all your devices are talking to each other.
Can a Disabled Palestinian American Launch the Next Big Sitcom?
How comedian Maysoon Zayid is planning to reshape television.
How I Discovered My Depression—and Began to Confront It
With suicide rising among undiagnosed American depressives, I recognized it was time to admit I needed help.
How Neglect and Indifference Killed Puerto Ricans After Hurricane Maria
A new project reveals the extent of preventable deaths in the wake of the 2017 hurricane.
An Interview With Mary Robinette Kowal
The author (and puppeteer) discusses climate change, discrimination, and how to write science fiction with a happy ending.
With Norm Macdonald, It's Different Words but the Same Dehumanizing Story
In an offhand remark, the embattled comedian implied a correlation between Down syndrome and emotional apathy—and, in the process, he reinforced an old and hateful stereotype.
Did Trump Call Sessions 'Retarded'?
The real harm against disabled Americans isn't the president's ableist rhetoric; it's his ableist policies.
Can Uber and Lyft Become Wheelchair Accessible?
A cap on ride-sharing companies in New York includes one important caveat: They're welcome to add as many wheelchair-accessible vehicles as they like.
Disability Rights Groups Come Out Strong Against Kavanaugh's SCOTUS Nomination
The groups' opposition hinges on Kavanaugh's general distrust of social programs critical to disabled Americans.
Climate Struggle and Collective Action at This Year's Hugo Awards
Many of this year's nominees highlight environmental degradation and liberation struggles.
'Disability Rights Are Civil Rights': Inside the CAP's New Disability Justice Initiative
A conversation with Rebecca Cokley and Rebecca Vallas.
Understanding Facebook's Failure to Deal With Hate Speech
A conversation with Siva Vaidhyanathan about why social media platforms aren't doing a better job at removing bigotry and misinformation.
Can We Save AP World History?
Instead of making students memorize facts, we should teach them to ask questions.
On the Trail With Billie Sutton in South Dakota
Can a disabled former rodeo rider finally take the governor's mansion for the Democrats in South Dakota?
When Hospitals Mistreat Disabled Patients
Patients diagnosed with an intellectual disability can often have a hard time getting their doctors to believe them.
Inside the Working-Class Comedy of 'Speechless'
A conversation with actor John Ross Bowie about comedy, working-class identity, and how entertainers should use social media.
How 'Colony' Dramatizes Possibilities for Resisting Fascism
Can science fiction help American viewers to empathize with occupied peoples?
America Is Not Ready for Disability Disaster Response in the Coming Hurricane Season
FEMA and the Red Cross talk a good game, but the disability community is skeptical.
Banning Straws Won't Save the Oceans
Instead of shaming disabled consumers who rely on straws, let's hold producers of plastic financially responsible for their waste.
A Conversation With Author Nicola Griffith
Griffith's new novel is a thriller that also helps dismantle the idea that disability is necessarily tragic.
A Conversation With Richard Painter
The former Bush ethics lawyer and current Senate hopeful talks about single-payer health care, his beef with the NRA, and why he's running as a Democrat.
The Real Threats to Free Speech on Campus Aren't Coming From Students
How billionaires and college administrators are using their power to silence students.
A Texas Principal and the Casual Criminalization of Race and Disability in Schools
School officials shouldn't joke about calling the cops on vulnerable children. They should also stop treating non-compliance as criminal.
Why the Arizona Teachers' Strike Should Terrify Anti-Union Governors
As in other recent red-state teachers' strikes, the Arizona teachers were agitating not just for raises but for a wholesale improvement of the state's system of education.
Why Critics Say It's Time to Abolish ICE
Critics argue that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is rotten to its very core.
How to Fight Alt-Right Terrorism
What the Toronto Killer's online misogyny reveals about the threat from the alt-right.
'Sexism Is a Feature of the System'
As #MeToo comes to college campuses, Kelly Baker's work shows just how deeply sexism is embedded in academia.
The Right-Wing Plot to Take Over Student Governments
American conservatives keep attacking left-wing academics for what the right wing is actually doing.
How to Write Great Sci-Fi About Disability Law
John Scalzi's latest novel conjures a fantastical world where the plot revolves around the Americans With Disabilities Act—and it's gripping.
How to Hold Predators in Academia Accountable
Recent reforms at UCLA demonstrate that it's possible for universities to implement just procedures to protect victims and oust abusers.
How to Deal With the Sinclair Media Group
You can't effectively boycott a corporation that dominates the entire media landscape. What you can do is regulate it.
How 'Deaf President Now' Changed America
A brief history of the movement that transformed a university and helped catalyze the Americans With Disabilities Act.
How White American Terrorists Are Radicalized
They're reading the same websites, talking to each other, and killing the same targets. The lone wolves are actually a pack.
Amid #MeToo, Journalists Shouldn't Commodify Women's Pain
Reporters should call out non-apologies—and be wary of re-exploiting victims.
No, the Irish Were Not Slaves Too
Historian Liam Hogan has spent the last six years debunking the Irish slave myth.
Lawmakers Keep Making Schools More Dangerous for Vulnerable Children
Instead of decriminalizing our schools, too many teachers and school police continue to escalate.
What Would a Democratic House Do to Protect Our Environment?
A chat with Democratic Representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota.
Repeal the Second Amendment Already
We do not need a well-regulated militia (or any militia) to have a free society. We need fewer guns.
How Will Publishing Deal With Lemony Snicket Amid #MeToo?
Numerous authors and librarians allege a pattern of sexually humiliating comments.
Why Congress Is Close to Gutting a Key Provision of the ADA
Retail lobbyists are pushing through a law that will limit equal access for disabled Americans in commercial spaces.
Gerber's New Spokesbaby Has Down Syndrome. So What?
Commercial images of cute white babies with Down syndrome aren't revolutionary anymore.