Alejandra Caraballo Explained

Alejandra Caraballo
Occupation:Civil rights attorney, academic, activist
Employer:Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic
Education:University of Tampa (B.A.)
Brooklyn Law School (J.D.)

Alejandra Caraballo (pronounced as /es/; born) is an American civil rights attorney and clinical instructor at the Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic. Caraballo is a transgender rights activist and has spoken out against anti-LGBT legislation, policies, and rhetoric.

Early life and education

When Caraballo was fifteen years old, her father became permanently disabled after losing an arm in a workplace accident. She said her family's struggles with the worker's compensation system, and the help from attorneys in resolving them "demonstrated to me the power that the law can have".[1]

Caraballo earned a bachelor's degree in Government and World Affairs from the University of Tampa. She then earned a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, where she studied with a concentration in intellectual property and media law.[2] Shortly after she passed the bar exam, she came out as transgender.[3]

Caraballo is Latina.

Career

Caraballo was a staff attorney at the LGBTQ Law Project at the New York Legal Assistance Group, representing LGBT individuals seeking asylum and other immigrants.[4] She then worked as a staff attorney with the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, focusing on national advocacy.

In 2021, she joined the Cyberlaw Clinic at the Harvard Law School as a clinical instructor. She and another instructor who began teaching the same month were the first trans women of color to teach at the law school. The New York Times described Caraballo as an expert on transgender issues;[5] she has spent years monitoring anti-LGBT rhetoric online.[6] [7] [8]

Political activism

Starting in 2019, Caraballo served on a Brooklyn community board.[9] [10] In 2020 she announced her candidacy for New York City's 35th City Council district seat, and campaigned on defunding the New York City Police Department and redirecting the funds towards other services, as well as improving affordable housing. She ultimately left the race before the election.[11]

Caraballo is a democratic socialist.[12], she was a member of the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City.[13]

Caraballo has been outspoken about what she sees as anti-LGBT legislation and policies, rhetoric from prominent individuals, and inadequate social media moderation surrounding the topic.[14] [15] In March 2022, she criticized the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, also nicknamed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by its opponents, which was introduced in January 2022 and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis the following March. Caraballo described the bill as "an unprecedented attack on LGBT rights", predicting it would likely lead to a serious reversal in policies protecting LGBT rights in schools.[16] Later that year, Caraballo was critical of Elon Musk's actions after acquiring Twitter, including his decision to reinstate accounts that had been suspended for threats, harassment, or misinformation.[17]

Social media activity

In a tweet published on December 29, 2022, Caraballo suggested that the arrest of American-British social media personality Andrew Tate in Romania on human trafficking charges was facilitated by a video he posted online revealing his location by showing the name of a Romanian pizzeria.[18] Caraballo's tweet quickly went viral and led to the proliferation of the rumor online. A spokesperson for Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism said the rumor was "funny" but untrue.[19] Caraballo later acknowledged what she described as "fair criticism" that she had jumped to conclusions, but publicly defended her rationale for making the claim.[20] [21]

In April 2024, Caraballo tweeted in advance of the England's National Health Service (NHS) release of the Cass Report that it had “disregarded nearly all studies because they weren't double blinded studies.”[22] [23] The tweet contradicted the published report and Dr. Cass called this claim “misinformation".[24] Caraballo explained her interest in the NHS Cass Review as an American LBGTQ+ activist and civil rights attorney[25] by pointing out that Cass Review could be used in American legal cases;  she told the Nation that “Prominent anti-trans cases in Finland, Sweden, and especially the UK have been cited in US courts.”[26]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rummler . Orion . August 23, 2021 . Meet the First Trans Women of Color to Teach at Harvard Law . December 2, 2022 . . en-US . December 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203050130/https://www.them.us/story/meet-the-first-trans-women-of-color-to-teach-at-harvard-law . live .
  2. Web site: August 15, 2021 . Alejandra Caraballo . December 2, 2022 . Cyberlaw Clinic . . en-US . December 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221201042416/https://clinic.cyber.harvard.edu/bio/alejandra-caraballo/ . live .
  3. Web site: Beres . Amanda . June 23, 2022 . Alejandra Caraballo . December 3, 2022 . . December 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203054143/http://gomag.com/article/women-we-love-2022-alejandra-caraballo/ . live .
  4. Web site: Hill . Marta . March 11, 2022 . Massachusetts reacts to Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill . December 3, 2022 . . en-US . December 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203054141/https://www.boston.com/news/national-news/2022/03/11/massachusetts-reacts-florida-dont-say-gay-bill/ . live .
  5. News: Futterman . Matthew . June 19, 2022 . FINA Restricts Transgender Women From Competing at Elite Level . en-US . . December 3, 2022 . 0362-4331 . December 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203060028/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/19/sports/fina-transgender-women-elite-swimming.html . live .
  6. Web site: Christensen . Jen . August 18, 2022 . Boston Children's Hospital says it's gotten violent threats over care for transgender children . December 3, 2022 . . en . December 6, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221206204835/https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/17/health/boston-hospital-gender-affirming-care-threat/index.html . live .
  7. Web site: Wiggins . Christopher . September 29, 2022 . Twitter Suspends Libs of TikTok While Account Owner Vows Legal Action . December 3, 2022 . . en . December 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203113246/https://www.advocate.com/news/2022/9/29/twitter-suspends-libs-tiktok-while-account-owner-vows-legal-action . live .
  8. News: Freyer . Felice J. . Lazar . Kay . August 17, 2022 . Right-wing groups hit Boston Children's with barrage of threats over trans health program . . .
  9. News: Tracy . Matt . Trans Community Board Member Makes History in Brooklyn . January 12, 2023 . Gay City News . June 21, 2019 . January 12, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230112171946/https://gaycitynews.com/trans-community-board-member-makes-history-in-brooklyn/ . live .
  10. Web site: Shahrigian . Shant . September 7, 2020 . After a career of firsts as transgender woman, Brooklyn lawyer sets sights on NYC Council . December 3, 2022 . . December 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203061950/https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-alejandra-caraballo-brooklyn-city-council-candidate-20200907-wjdvaxeuf5hfzkqvpu6mibt3tq-story.html . live .
  11. 1333461638561796096 . Esqueer_ . I am ending my campaign for city council. Thank you so much to all of my supporters and volunteers... . Alejandra Caraballo . November 30, 2020 . December 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201130213405/https://twitter.com/Esqueer_/status/1333461638561796096 . November 30, 2020 . live.
  12. Web site: Lewis . Rebecca C. . September 8, 2020 . Alejandra Caraballo, transgender trailblazer, eyes City Council run . December 3, 2022 . . en . December 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203062145/https://www.cityandstateny.com/personality/2020/09/alejandra-caraballo-transgender-trailblazer-eyes-city-council-run/175657/ . live .
  13. News: Rubinstein . Dana . Glueck . Katie . April 22, 2021 . Andrew Yang, Looking for Endorsement, Offends Gay Democratic Club . en-US . . December 2, 2022 . 0362-4331 . December 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203054142/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/22/nyregion/andrew-yang-gays-stonewall.html . live .
  14. Web site: Goggin . Ben . Tenbarge . Kat . November 23, 2022 . Right-wing influencers and media double down on anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in the wake of the Colorado shooting . December 3, 2022 . . en . December 2, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221202174106/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/right-wing-influencers-media-double-anti-lgbtq-rhetoric-wake-colorado-rcna58371 . live .
  15. Web site: Goforth . Claire . July 21, 2022 . Twitter says it bans using 'groomer' as an anti-LGTBQ slur—but its enforcement is lacking . December 3, 2022 . . en-US . December 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203063228/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/twitter-ban-groomers-lgbtq-slur/ . live .
  16. Web site: Tensley . Brandon . March 10, 2022 . The news out of Florida and Texas exemplifies a larger conservative trend . December 2, 2022 . . en . December 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203054141/https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/10/us/lgbtq-rights-desantis-race-deconstructed-newsletter/index.html . live .
  17. News: Lorenz . Taylor . Taylor Lorenz . November 24, 2022 . 'Opening the gates of hell': Musk says he will revive banned accounts . en-US . . 2022-12-03 . 0190-8286 . December 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221203124155/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/24/twitter-musk-reverses-suspensions/ . live .
  18. Web site: Doak . Sam . January 6, 2023 . Double Check: Why Was Andrew Tate Arrested? . 2023-03-13 . . en . March 5, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230305094907/https://www.logically.ai/articles/double-check-why-was-andrew-tate-arrested . live .
  19. Web site: Liles . Jordan . Did Andrew Tate's Video of a Jerry's Pizza Box Lead to His Arrest? . . 1 January 2023 . 30 December 2022 . December 30, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221230180348/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/andrew-tate-arrested-jerrys-pizza-box/ . live .
  20. Web site: Bowker . Brittany . 30 December 2022 . Did a pizza box lead to Andrew Tate's Romania arrest? No. But here's the rationale behind the theory. . https://archive.today/20221231164752/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/30/business/did-pizza-box-lead-andrew-tates-romania-arrest-no-heres-rationale-behind-theory/ . 31 December 2022 . 1 January 2023 . The Boston Globe.
  21. Web site: Baio . Ariana . Was Andrew Tate actually arrested because of a pizza box? . . 1 January 2023 . 30 December 2022 . January 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230101215257/https://www.indy100.com/viral/andrew-tate-arrested-pizza-box . live .
  22. Web site: 2024-04-22 . Cass author condemns ‘misinformation’ spread by trans lawyer . 2024-08-01 . archive.ph.
  23. Web site: 2024-05-24 . Cass review on gender medicine “largely ignored” in the US - BMJ Group . 2024-08-01 . en-GB.
  24. Web site: 2024-05-24 . Cass review on gender medicine “largely ignored” in the US - BMJ Group . 2024-08-01 . en-GB.
  25. News: Zapata . Natasha Hakimi . 2024-04-19 . What the Cass Review Means for Trans Kids in Britain—and Beyond . 2024-08-01 . en-US . 0027-8378.
  26. News: Zapata . Natasha Hakimi . 2024-04-19 . What the Cass Review Means for Trans Kids in Britain—and Beyond . 2024-08-01 . en-US . 0027-8378.

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