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Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor

@chadtopaz.bsky.social

Data science + math for social justice. Violist, yogi, husband, dad to human & dogs. 🏳️‍🌈 Views do not represent my employers. Author of Unlocking Justice: The Power of Data to Confront Inequity and Create Change. Order at: https://bit.ly/4nT7qUh

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Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 8h ago

Excited to share this interview I did with a Dutch news magazine! I have no idea what it says but the interviewer was genuinely completely delightful and awesome and was very kind about his interest in my book. www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/...

Een Amerikaanse wiskundige laat met databestanden zien hoe onrechtvaardig het rechtssysteem kan zijn

Discriminatie: De activistische wiskundige Chad Topaz gebruikt dataonderzoek „om ongelijkheid aan te pakken”. Hij hoopt dat juristen meer kennis opdoen over kansberekening en statistiek.

nrc.nl

Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · yesterday

Proudly presenting my "100/30" rule: doing 100% of the strategies makes life 30% better. And is worth it. So, for sanity this week, I - Took social media off phone - Got rid of "Daily Reads" bookmarks - Re-started meditating - Re-started journaling - Quit 3 things - Cut 5 optional to-dos - Napped

Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 5d ago

My child inexplicably loves living things, which is why over the course of his childhood there have been 3 dogs, 4 mice, a giant African millipede, etc. Today, he went to a reptile convention and came home with some type of snake. "What's its name" I asked. "Trouser." Trouser snake. I'm moving out.

Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 2w ago

I must be honest that I have been MASSIVELY struggling to figure out how to react to mathematicians who now very suddenly care about the human element of math, only in light of genAI stealing everyone’s work. The best response I have, meant sincerely, is welcome to the party.

Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · last mo.

Whoa my book just got a glowing review in a math journal, and the best part is the reviewer’s main complaint: she kept wanting more math, then remembered it isn’t written for mathematicians. Correct! It’s for EVERYONE—no formulas, just stories of data fighting injustice. I hope you will read it.

Screenshot of a book review from The American Mathematical Monthly. Header: "Unlocking Justice: The Power of Data to Confront Inequity and Create Change. By Chad M. Topaz, Princeton University Press, 2026. 232 pp., ISBN 978-0691276151, $27.95. Reviewed by Kimberly Spayd." Section 1 is titled "YOUR INVITATION TO BE A MATH ACTIVIST." Spayd writes that the writing and publishing of Unlocking Justice is a political act in today's world: a proud invitation to work towards justice and equity in the criminal justice system using math and statistics, made accessible for a wide audience. She says it would be irresponsible and disingenuous to ignore the advocacy and resistance the book boldly encourages; instead she wants to amplify Topaz's activism and echo his invitation to readers to join the fight. To the question "why do they have to make math political?" she responds that math has been political far longer than Topaz or she have been around: the discipline's politics have promoted certain ideas and people while demoting and minoritizing others. Examples: infinite series, discovered by Madhava and Nilakantha three centuries before Newton and Leibniz but widely attributed to the western greats, and regression, developed by Galton for his still-reverberating eugenics agenda. On the other end of the spectrum, Topaz highlights data analysis and visualizations by Ida B. Wells and W.E.B. Du Bois that raised awareness of racial violence and countered racial stereotypes. Humans do math and bring their identities to their work; nearly everything is political now, including books, data, and knowledge. She argues that becoming a math activist is not accepting the slanderous accusation that higher education is liberal indoctrination; rather, it is academics' professional responsibility to enter political spheres and pursue answers with a critical lens, guiding students to draw their own conclusions—which, she concludes, is what Topaz does for readers of Unlocking Justice.
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 2mo ago

🧵🚨: Remember the recent #genAI cheating scandal at Brown? Everyone talks about the average score drop from take-home midterm to proctored final: 95.7 → 48.8. That number alone can't settle anything. But the released data can, and almost nobody has looked at it. So we did! Read on. #AcademicSky

What exam scores can and cannot prove about unauthorized AI assistance: Evidence from a highly public classroom episode

In spring 2026, an economics professor at Brown University gave a take-home midterm and, after unusually high scores, made the final exam proctored. Among the 59 students who completed the course, ave...

arxiv.org

Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Oh, you'd like a thorough, scientific debunking of this terrible WSJ piece about alleged rises in allegedly destructive estrangement from parents? HOLD MY FREAKIN' BEER.

The Number the Journal Doesn't Substantiate: A Response to the Wall Street Journal on Therapy and Estrangement — Chad M. Topaz

The Journal says a survey of some 7,000 estranged parents found a third who believed their child's therapist had influenced the cutoff. The nearest public survey can't be reconciled with that number, ...

chadtopaz.com

Meggie Z@nutmeggles.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Another classic case of “sucks to suck”.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. BONDS Are Therapists to Blame for the Rise of Adults Cutting Off Their Parents? Many moms and dads believe that their adult children are getting bad advice-and a growing number of researchers agree. 'Everything becomes trauma!
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Did you hear about the DC July 4 fireworks show? It promises 850,000 fireworks in 40 minutes. That's 354 per second. You'll miss up to 142 of them every time you blink. For your edutainment, I proudly present the nerdiest thing you will read about this dangerously absurd / absurdly dangerous event.

Three Hundred Fifty-Four Fireworks per Second — Chad M. Topaz

Organizers promise 850,000 fireworks in roughly 40 minutes over the National Mall this Saturday. I did what a mathematician does with a big number: I divided. It did not make the show look better.

chadtopaz.com

Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Dog #2 is unable to activate “down” mode for the steep stairs in our townhome. He stands at the top and whines to be carried. Helpless. Or so I believed, until I just caught him bounding down. Then he saw me, stopped midway, and whined. I actually admire the laziness + deception here. Impressive.

Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 4mo ago

I want to thank everyone here for the amazing support and good cheer yesterday, my book's publication day. The kind words and pix of y'all with the book are deeply appreciated. I sincerely hope that it's a worthwhile read for you, and that it spreads some knowledge, humor, inspiration, and hope.

Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Today is — at long last — official launch day for my book, "Unlocking Justice." I wrote it to help and to be hopeful. Tradition says I post a pic of me with the book. 🤷‍♂️I'm overthrowing tradition and posting (abbreviated) acknowledgments. This book exists only because of so many people. I feel moved.

Acknowledgments page from the book Unlocking Justice by Chad M. Topaz. Text: My brilliant and magnanimous pre-submission editor, Nancy Rawlinson, made this book — to provide some data — 10 million times better than it otherwise would have been. I also received invaluable advice from two seasoned authors: Joel Derfner, who wrote Swish, Lawfully Wedded Husband, and other gems, and Sarah Rose, who penned the riveting D-Day Girls and For All the Tea in China. If not for Nancy, Joel, and Sarah, you would not be reading this book. I am equally grateful to the remarkable team at Princeton University Press, who believed in this book from the very beginning. My editor, Diana Gillooly, brought deep insight and rigor, strengthening the manuscript in countless ways. I also owe thanks to Whitney Rauenhorst, Molly Grote, Sydney Bartlett, Matt Taylor, Barbara Tonetti, and Terri O'Prey for their steadfast support, and to Maia Vaswani, my meticulous copy editor.cknowledgments, continued. Text: I owe much of my understanding of the world, particularly regarding race, mathematics, and the intersection of the two, to Dr. Piper Harris. Her generosity and clear-headed insights have helped me write a better book and become a better person. I often find reality confusing, and Piper has been an invaluable interpreter, making it make sense or explaining why it never will. I frequently tell her, "Stop being so wise," but quickly follow it up with, "No, wait — don't." Emily Meyer provided essential guidance during the early stages of my writing. Phi Su offered invaluable advice on navigating publishing. Fred Vars was instrumental as a writing accountability partner. Further feedback came from Spencer Brooks, Ana Ros Camacho, Darren Glass, Anna Haensch, Amy Kimpel, Elizabeth Kregor, Brittany Meché, Alex Montgomery, Oded Oren, and Rachel Roca. I am grateful to Isabel Chenoweth, who photographed me for this book and turned the experience into a joyful and affirming one. Cait Kirby and Régan Schwartz have been vibrant intellectual partners who helped me think more carefully about data.Acknowledgments, continued. Text: I'm indebted to my dear friends and family, Phoebe Cohen, Mea Cook, Meg Gibson, Gina Jae, Salley Koo, Elizabeth Kregor, Amanda Topaz, Jason Topaz, and Christelle Vincent for their constant wisdom, inspiration, and support. My colleagues Andrew Bernoff, Ron Buckmire, and Rustum Choksi are my benevolent professional-world uncles who have given me boundless support and mentorship. Victor Piercey's insights into quantitative reasoning within the legal domain greatly enriched chapter 4. I'm grateful to Andrew Robinson for advice on the chemistry example in chapter 8. I wrote much of this book at Williams College's Oakley Center, whose staff I thank for their support. The line between teacher and student often blurs in the exchange of knowledge. I am deeply grateful to all the students who have taught me. I especially want to acknowledge Utsav Bahl, Nicholas Goldrosen, and Christian Michael Smith, from whom I have learned so much.Acknowledgments, continued. Text: The research on art museum diversity in chapter 1 was a collaborative effort with Bernhard Klingenberg, Daniel Turek, Brianna Heggeseth, Pamela Harris, Julie Blackwood, C. Ondine Chavoya, Steven Nelson, and Kevin Murphy. My work on mathematics journal editorial boards in chapter 2 was joint with Shilad Sen. The research on police call rates in chapter 5, growing out of my organization QSIDE, was conducted by Anna Haensch, Daanika Gordon, Karin Knudson, and Justina Cheng. The bail research in chapter 4 was with Oded Oren and Courtney Oliva. Eli Miller and Bryan Martin joined me on the Rikers Island research in chapter 6. In chapter 7, Maria-Veronica Ciocanel, Rebecca Santorella, Shilad Sen, Christian Michael Smith, Adam Hufstetler, Nick Goldrosen, Shawn Bushway, and Shaoyang Ning explored federal sentencing with me. Utsav Bahl, Lea Obermüller, Sophie Goldstein, and Mira Sneirson were my coauthors on the COMPAS investigation in chapter 9. The chapter 8 analysis was carried out with James Cart, Carrie Diaz Eaton, Anelise Hanson Shrout, Jude Higdon, Kenan Ence (whose loss we mourn), Brian Katz, Drew Lewis, Jessica Libertini, and Christian Michael Smith. My QSIDE collaborators Christian Adams, Tyrone Bass, Alisa Malone, Zofia Stanley, and Karen Walker are the organization's mighty backbone. Finally, my deepest gratitude to Jude Higdon-Topaz and our son.
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Harvard has just voted to cap grades: instructors may assign A's to a max of 20% of students (plus four) per course. The outcome will unfairly harm racially minoritized students and, through course evals, gender minoritized instructors. My new piece in Inside Higher Ed. #AcademicSky #EduSky

Don’t Follow Harvard on Grade Caps (opinion)

The evidence suggests that limiting the number of A grades is not the way to go.

insidehighered.com

Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 4mo ago

A federal judge had sex with a police officer in chambers, lied about it in writing twice, and got a private reprimand. The public can't learn the judge's name. The system worked, judges say, because no conflict of interest landed on the docket. I am not having it. Read and share. #LawSky

The reprimand is sealed — Chad M. Topaz

A close reading of the Eleventh Circuit misconduct order affirmed in May 2026, and what it asks the public not to notice.

chadtopaz.com

Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 4mo ago

So, @tressiemcphd.bsky.social writes a brilliant (as usual) op-ed about genAI and some tech bro attempts to ridicule it. The guy, Mike Solana, is probably not worth my time but it seems he's gay and as a Gay, I am unduly annoyed by evil gays. Also, I'm bored. So here's my debunking of this guy.

Receipts are receipts — Chad M. Topaz

A response to Pirate Wires on Tressie McMillan Cottom. Solana mocked her NYT column on celebrity AI promotion without disclosing that his employer Founders Fund is invested in the companies she critiq...

chadtopaz.com

Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 4mo ago

I am very pleased to have this op-ed about the Federalist Society out as of just now. Except that I would be more pleased if FedSoc did not exist. #LawSky

What 20,000 Federalist Society Events Reveal About the Conservative Legal Machine

On April 29, in Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court rendered Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, in Justice Kagan’s words, “all but a dead letter.” The 6-3 decision reset the rules for challenging...

religiondispatches.org

Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor@chadtopaz.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Many of us are livid about Kickstarter's new "mature content" rules. Over the past day, I have looked at a decade of data to see who may be harmed. Comic artists. Gender minorities. Disabled, deaf, blind, queer, and chronically ill users. Sex workers. International creators. A data-driven look:

Valued, then erased — Chad M. Topaz

Who Kickstarter's May 2026 mature-content rules quietly forbid, drawn from a decade of Kickstarter project listings.

chadtopaz.com

Ro Salarian@rosalarian.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Kickstarter officially banning adult content now. Knew this was coming, but it still sucks to have yet another part of the internet that I've been explicitly evicted from. Digital gentrification is exhausting.

Screenshot of Kickstarter's new rules against mature content, in which everything pornographic is banned. It's a long document that's formatted in a way that I can't copy and paste all the text that's in it, but the first is that all point and anything sexual is now banned.