Alejandra Caraballo

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Alejandra Caraballo
Refer to caption
Caraballo testifying to the US House of Representatives in 2022
Born1990 or 1991 (age 32–33)
EducationUniversity of Tampa (B.A.)
Brooklyn Law School (J.D.)
Occupation(s)Civil rights attorney, academic, activist
EmployerHarvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic

Alejandra Caraballo (Spanish pronunciation: [aleˈxandɾa kaɾaˈβaʝo]; born 1990 or 1991[1]) 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.[2][3][4][5]

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.[6] Shortly after she passed the bar exam, she came out as transgender.[7]

Caraballo is Latina.[1]

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.[6][8][1] She then worked as a staff attorney with the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, focusing on national advocacy.[1][6][8]

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.[1] The New York Times described Caraballo as an expert on transgender issues;[2] she has spent years monitoring anti-LGBT rhetoric online.[3][4][5]

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.[10][11] She ultimately left the race before the election.[12]

Caraballo is a democratic socialist.[11] As of April 2021, 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.[2][4][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.[8][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 presence

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][19] 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.[20][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.[18][21]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Rummler, Orion (August 23, 2021). "Meet the First Trans Women of Color to Teach at Harvard Law". Them. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Futterman, Matthew (June 19, 2022). "FINA Restricts Transgender Women From Competing at Elite Level". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Christensen, Jen (August 18, 2022). "Boston Children's Hospital says it's gotten violent threats over care for transgender children". CNN. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Wiggins, Christopher (September 29, 2022). "Twitter Suspends Libs of TikTok While Account Owner Vows Legal Action". The Advocate. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Freyer, Felice J.; Lazar, Kay (August 17, 2022). "Right-wing groups hit Boston Children's with barrage of threats over trans health program". The Boston Globe. ProQuest 2702819036.
  6. ^ a b c "Alejandra Caraballo". Cyberlaw Clinic. Harvard University. August 15, 2021. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  7. ^ Beres, Amanda (June 23, 2022). "Alejandra Caraballo". GO. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Hill, Marta (March 11, 2022). "Massachusetts reacts to Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill". Boston.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  9. ^ Tracy, Matt (June 21, 2019). "Trans Community Board Member Makes History in Brooklyn". Gay City News. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Shahrigian, Shant (September 7, 2020). "After a career of firsts as transgender woman, Brooklyn lawyer sets sights on NYC Council". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Lewis, Rebecca C. (September 8, 2020). "Alejandra Caraballo, transgender trailblazer, eyes City Council run". City & State. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  12. ^ Alejandra Caraballo [@Esqueer_] (November 30, 2020). "I am ending my campaign for city council. Thank you so much to all of my supporters and volunteers..." (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2022 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Rubinstein, Dana; Glueck, Katie (April 22, 2021). "Andrew Yang, Looking for Endorsement, Offends Gay Democratic Club". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  14. ^ 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". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  15. ^ Goforth, Claire (July 21, 2022). "Twitter says it bans using 'groomer' as an anti-LGTBQ slur—but its enforcement is lacking". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  16. ^ Tensley, Brandon (March 10, 2022). "The news out of Florida and Texas exemplifies a larger conservative trend". CNN. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  17. ^ Lorenz, Taylor (November 24, 2022). "'Opening the gates of hell': Musk says he will revive banned accounts". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Bowker, Brittany (December 30, 2022). "Did a pizza box lead to Andrew Tate's Romania arrest? No. But here's the rationale behind the theory". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Doak, Sam (January 6, 2023). "Double Check: Why Was Andrew Tate Arrested?". Logically. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  20. ^ Liles, Jordan (December 30, 2022). "Did Andrew Tate's Video of a Jerry's Pizza Box Lead to His Arrest?". Snopes. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  21. ^ Baio, Ariana (December 30, 2022). "Was Andrew Tate actually arrested because of a pizza box?". Indy100. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
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