Tessera

Shayna Medley

@shaynam.bsky.social

Gender justice lawyer. Ethereal Bisexual. Senior Staff Atty @A4TE • ALAA/UAW 2325 • Visiting Prof @CardozoLaw • Formerly @ACLU @reprorights @Harvard_Law. Views are my own. they/them 🍉

79 Posts3927 Follower 266 Folgt

Shayna Medley @shaynam.bsky.social · last wk.

Read about @ulw4tl.bsky.social’s fight to save our jobs and enforce the layoff protections we just won in our new CBA. Trans rights are labor rights.

The Advocate@advocate.com · last wk.

Workers accuse Advocates for Trans Equality leaders of mismanagement after the organization warned that staff positions could be eliminated.

Evan Greer @evangreer.bsky.social · 2w ago

NEW: I wrote for MSNBC about how Madison Square Garden turning off their facial recognition cameras for Taylor Swift is a perfect encapsulation of our dystopian present: where the wealthy can use surveillance to consolidate power, and the rest of us live in a privately owned panopticon.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got to buy MSG's privacy. Her fans aren't so lucky.

Reports that Madison Square Garden temporarily shut off its facial recognition system for Swift’s wedding expose a glaring problem with how the elite wield and control mass surveillance.

ms.now

Shayna Medley @shaynam.bsky.social · 2w ago

Support trans Union members as we face potential layoffs:

Union of Legal Workers for Trans Liberation@ulw4tl.bsky.social · 2w ago

Our statement. Please sign the petition and spread word: forms.gle/2jVpUTaFu7ZV...

SIGN OUR PETITION
Our statement and link are in our bio

siobhan mcdonough @siobhan-m.bsky.social · 2w ago

unionized legal workers at Advocates for Trans Equality are now facing layoffs after the org went on a c-suite hiring spree. in this political moment, laying off frontline staff who meet trans legal needs is unconscionable

BREAKING
A4TE management lust publicly announced layoffs in violation of our new CBA

Less than a month after ratifying our new CBA, management has already violated it. Our contract requires management to
"work closely with the Union to ensure job security of every employee then on staff, develop a plan to avoid layoffs, and discuss
alternatives to layoffs." It also requires A4TE to provide financial documentation for why economic retrenchment is necessary.
A4TE has done none of this before going public with its layoff announcement.

Yesterday, July 20, A4TE management emailed the Union after 5pm informing us of the organization's
"economic retrenchment" and their intent to lay off staff. Less than 24 hours later, A4TE sent a mass email to their supporters announcing impending layoffs - with no internal communication to all staff - before the Union has had an opportunity to bargain over the outcome.

Since the 2024 merger of
TLDEF and NCTE, A4TE has embarked on a hiring spree for C-suite and director level positions, while gutting critical direct service programs like the Name Change Project. These cuts to our essential programs and frontline staff are neither
"necessary" nor "practical," as A4TE suggests. They are the result of reckless mismanagement and a callous disregard for staff's jobs and livelihoods.

Union of Legal Workers for Trans Liberation @ulw4tl.bsky.social · 2w ago

⚠️BREAKING⚠️ A4TE management just publicly announced layoffs in violation of our new CBA.

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · last mo.

Sam Alito: It is the worst kind of discrimination to create majority-minority congressional districts and so we are going to kill the Voting Rights Act. Also Sam Alito: There is nothing we can do if the president cancels legal status because he thinks the United States is a white country.

Steve Vladeck@stevevladeck.bsky.social · last mo.

Fourth (and *last*) ruling from #SCOTUS is in TPS. For the usual 6-3 majority, Justice Alito holds that federal law forecloses judicial review of statutory challenges to the executive branch's termination of temporary protected status for Haiti, Syria, etc.: www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...

Shayna Medley @shaynam.bsky.social · last mo.

Two devastating immigration opinions from Alito today, one concerning temporary protected status for Haitians and the other concerning the Mexico-US border crossing. Excerpt from Sotomayor’s dissent in Mullin v. Otro Lado:

Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · last mo.

supremecourt.gov

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · last mo.

BREAKING: Federal judge grants patients' request to block DOJ from seeking or obtaining patient information via grand jury subpoena as to any transgender people who received gender-affirming medical care in New York City (including NYU Langone). More to come:

Law Dork | Chris Geidner | Substack

The Supreme Court, law, politics, and more. Click to read Law Dork, by Chris Geidner, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

lawdork.com

Shayna Medley @shaynam.bsky.social · 3mo ago

If you need a good laugh this is excellent

Quinn Slobodian@quinnslobodian.com · 3mo ago

3 actual quotes from this piece: “Can I afford the tax? Yes. Is it going to deter me? No. But I think it’s shameful. I provide a lot of money to people who are blue-collar workers who work for me, servers in restaurants." giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 3mo ago

gothamist.com/news/in-suns...

In Sunset Park, businesses blame fear of ICE for slowdown

The toll on businesses in immigrant-rich neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens is showing up in new surveys.

gothamist.com

The Advocate @advocate.com · 3mo ago

Workers at Advocates for Trans Equality had authorized a strike before a last-minute deal halted the walkout.

Planned strike at transgender advocacy group called off after last-minute tentative deal

advocate.com

Union of Legal Workers for Trans Liberation @ulw4tl.bsky.social · 4mo ago

@transequality.bsky.social says they want to set the standard for LGBTQI+ nonprofit workplaces. Our reality tells a different story. 96% of our union has authorized a strike. If no agreement is reached by May 4th, WE WILL STRIKE.

"Setting the standard for LGBTQI+ nonprofit employers"
That's what Advocates for Trans Equality
(A4TE) says - but our reality looks very different.

For the past 8 months, we have been negotiating our contract.
Here is what we have experienced from Executive Leadership and C-Suite:
Staff have been questioned, spoken down to, and treated as unintelligent-especially those without law degrees.
Work has been bottlenecked and made unnecessarily difficult, harming relationships with external partners.
Executive Leadership and C-suite have shut down our Name Change Project (NCP), put jobs at risk, threatened the position of our union chapter president, and called union members liars.

And yet, Executive Leadership and C-suite publicly claim to support equity, trust, and strong workplace standards all while proposing:

Removing COLAs → because we're a "new organization"
Keeping layoff power → because of the "last contract"

So which is it, A4TE leadership? Are we a new organization or bound by the old contract?

The Union has already voted - 96% of union members authorized a strike.

If no agreement is made by May 4th, WE WILL STRIKE.

A4TE leadership, if you want to be the
"model standard", prove it.
Our union remains in solidarity and demands:

• Equitable layoff protections
• Fair COLAS

Show us who you really are.

Kirsten Berg @kirstenberg.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Please support our union’s work toward a fair contract by NOT crossing our digital picket line! That means not visiting @ProPublica.org today, April 8. (And please resume your support of @ProPublica.org all other days, we love the journalism we do!)

ProPublica Guild@propublicaguild.org · 4mo ago

We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today. Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

We're on strike! Don't visit propublica.org on April 8

ElieNYC @elienyc.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Roberts again: "You mention in your briefing about 'birth tourism.' Do you have any... information about how... common that is... how much of a problem that is?" Sauer: uhh... media reports... from China. Roberts: "Having said all that, you do agree it has no impace on the legal analysis..."

Assigned Media @assignedmedia.org · 4mo ago

The American Medical Association directly responds to New York Times coverage mischaracterizing their posiiton on gender affirming care for trans young people. cloud.e.ama-assn.org/newsletter?u...

In recent days, AMA communications to the New York Times have requested a correction on their part to reflect the actual language the AMA used in response to their inquiry. Additionally, a letter to the editor has been submitted requesting a public correction—this was neither a policy change nor was it an endorsement of a position taken by another medical society. In addition, during Congressional testimony in mid-March, I had the opportunity to set the record straight stating to the Subcommittee on Health of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that there has been no change in AMA policy with respect to access to and provision of gender-affirming care. This will appear in the Congressional Record.

Shayna Medley @shaynam.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Our Union of Workers for Trans Liberation is fighting for fair wages, job security, layoff protections, and more ⬇️ These are dark times but our Union brings me so much hope

Union of Legal Workers for Trans Liberation@ulw4tl.bsky.social · 5mo ago

BREAKING: 96% YES to authorize a strike! U4TL members voted overwhelmingly in support of authorizing our bargaining committee to call a strike if necessary.

96% YES
to authorize a strike!
U4TL members voted overwhelmingly in support of authorizing our bargaining
committee to call for a strike if necessary

Heba Gowayed هبة جويد @hebagowayed.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Columbia student detained today is a day-in-the-life influencer with 100K followers. Her stories right now go from her studying for a Genetics exam in a nicely edited "ten hour study with me at Columbia" video, to a photo of her knees with the caption "dhs illegally arrested me please help"

10 hour study with me at Columbia showing lunch

DHS illegally arrested me please help

Text against image of her knees

Parker Molloy @parkermolloy.com · 5mo ago

If you're a trans person in Kansas who had your drivers license invalidated, you can absolutely trust @marisakabas.bsky.social to handle your story with care. I vouch for her 100%.

Marisa Kabas@marisakabas.bsky.social · 5mo ago

i know the situation in kansas right now is dangerous and terrifying. that said, i'm hoping to speak to someone who's had their license invalidated. i will do absolutely everything to protect your anonymity and maintain your safety. i can be reached securely via signal at marisakabas.04

Union of Legal Workers for Trans Liberation @ulw4tl.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Breaking! A4TE management is resorting to coercive bargaining tactics: holding our raises hostage to pressure us into a deal. We will not be intimidated. We will not back down. We are united in our fight for a fair contract.

BREAKING:
U4TL filed a
grievance against management for refusing to pay our contractual salary step increases while we are bargaining

This is an unfair labor practice and a violation of our CBA.
Decades of NLRB
precedent makes it clear: even after a contract expires, workers retain the right to established wages and step increases.

A4TE management is resorting to coercive bargaining tactics: holding our raises hostage to pressure us into a deal.
We will not be intimidated.
We will not back down.
We are united in our fight for a fair contract.

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 6mo ago

In a blatant violation of NY state and NYC law, NYU Langone has shut down its youth gender clinic and caused a potential forced detransition to its patients. Where is the NY AG and Mayor Mamdani? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/n...

Manhattan Hospital Ends Medical Treatment for Transgender Youth

nytimes.com

Emily Gorcenski @emily.gorcen.ski · 6mo ago

Cool thoughts from Noam Chomsky

From: Matthew Hiltzik <
To: J <jeevacation@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Thoughts from Chomsky
Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 23:34:06 +0000
I think that is wise
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 23, 2019, at 4:19 PM, J < jeevacation@gmail.com> wrote:
Ive watched the horrible way you are being treated in the press and public. It's painful to say, but I think the best way to proceed is to ignore it. I've had plenty of experience, though of course not on this scale. A google search will bring up tons of hysterical accusations of all sorts, even groups devoted to vilifying me. I pay no attention, unless I'm approached for a comment on a specific matter. It's a nuisance, but it's the best way. The same conclusions from experiences of others, in some cases close friends.
What the vultures dearly want is a public response, which then provides a public opening for an onslaught of venomous attacks, many from just publicity seekers or cranks of all sorts -- which are impossible to answer (how do you prove that you are not a neo-Nazi who wants to kill the Jews, or a rapist, or whatever charge comes along?). That's particularly true now with the hysteria that has developed about abuse of women, which has reached the point that even questioning a charge is a crime worse than murder. For virtually everyone who sees any of this, the reaction will be "where there's smoke there's fire, maybe raging fire" (whatever the facts, which few will even think of investigating).
In general, it's best I think not to react unless directly questioned, particularly in the current mood -- which, I presume, will fade away, even if not in time to prevent much torture and distress.

Stacey Burns @wentrogue.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Affecting story about an immigrant girl in hiding in Minneapolis getting her period for the first time, not knowing what to do (and her dad not knowing what to do, either)

How an errand for a 12-year-old immigrant in Minneapolis became an underground operation

In Minnesota, there is an extensive network of community members who are volunteering en masse to help one another. NPR's Jasmine Garsd tells the story of one family who needed to run one errand…and h...

npr.org

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌@chanda.blacksky.app · 6mo ago

We are calling our senators right now and demanding that they vote no on the omnibus with DHS funding We are explicitly mentioning ICE’s murder in cold blood of a man on the streets of Minneapolis this morning

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌@chanda.blacksky.app · 6mo ago

“This is un-American“ is anti-Indigenous, anti-Black gaslighting and if you find that inconvenient imagine how our colonized and enslaved ancestors felt and grow the fuck up

Gautam Hans @gshans.bsky.social · 7mo ago

I wrote on the shameful situation re: the recession of a deanship to Emily Suski at the University of Arkansas Law. What was the reason? Prof. Suski signed an amicus brief supporting trans rights. The Arkansas legislators admitted that was it! Horrible outcome. ballsandstrikes.org/legal-cultur...

A Law School Dean Signed a Brief Defending Trans Rights. She Lost Her Job Because of It

The revocation of Emily Suski’s job offer at the University of Arkansas sends a chilling message to law professors everywhere.

ballsandstrikes.org

Union of Legal Workers for Trans Liberation @ulw4tl.bsky.social · 7mo ago

UPDATE ON BARGAINING: U4TL is in the final stages of bargaining. Our contract has expired and we are still fighting for the following…

U4TL is in the final stages of bargaining.
Our contract has expired and we are still fighting for:
• Job preservation and layoff protections
• Fair wages and pay equity
• Transparency about the future of Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE)

We cannot bargain fairly without knowing what A4TE plans for the future of our employment and working conditions.
A4TE management has delayed sharing the new organizational chart and budget-information that would massively impact our jobs and our contract.

Job preservation isn't "nice to have"-it is essential.
Right now, A4TE management hasn't shared the restructured organization chart-even though it directly affects who stays, who goes, and what our jobs look like.
When critical information is withheld, it feels intentional-and it puts workers at risk.

We're working without a
contract-and it's showing.
Departments are seeing drastic changes to their workload, roles, and expectations-without safeguards in place.
That is why we are escalating.
This Friday (1/23), all-shop members will attend open bargaining to show management that we are in solidarity with our

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 7mo ago

interestingly to me, you can actually see the impact of this brief at oral argument rn bc Idaho is now saying 'okay yes there is a history of de jure discrim against trans people, but it wasn't explicit like it was against Black people' which is...a v different position to be in, I think!

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie@audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 7mo ago

Importantly, the history of anti-trans discrimination isnt just history The scholars' brief shows the link between a dark past that Amy Coney Barrett can no longer plausibly deny, and a darkening future that she & her conservative colleagues are helping to create ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/trans...

Shayna Medley @shaynam.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Thank you @ballsandstrikes.org for covering @transequality.bsky.social’s amicus brief on behalf of legal scholars and historians on the history of anti trans discrimination in the law

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie@audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 7mo ago

y'all may remember that Justice Amy Coney Barrett claimed to have no knowledge about how the government treats trans people, & said trans people had been subject to "relatively little" discrimination y'all may not know that her skepticism had legal significance.. ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/trans...

Balls & Strikes @ballsandstrikes.org · 7mo ago

Amy Coney Barrett says she doesn't know of any history of state-sanctioned discrimination aginst trans people. This amicus brief aims to set the record straight.

This Is the History of Anti-Trans Bigotry Amy Coney Barrett Doesn’t Want to Talk About

Barrett thinks transgender people have been subjected to “relatively little” discrimination. This amicus brief aims to set the record straight.

ballsandstrikes.org