January 11th at 2pm PST/10pm UTC – we welcome special guest Gavin Grimm.
You can donate to Gavin’s fundraiser here.
We can now be found at @aaronswartzday.bsky.social.
Back in 2013, when Aaron Swartz Day was originally founded, one of our original goals was “protecting future Aarons.” To that end, this Saturday, December 7th, we welcome special guest Gavin Grimm to discuss his inspirational activism and his thoughts on critical issues.
We will discuss everything from trans rights to homelessness to immigration to climate change, and more.
We’ll also get an update from Andre Sobral on Brazil’s Bolsonaro saga. Brazil’s Federal Police have indicted 37 suspects in connection with a coup attempt, all of whom are part of former President Bolsonaro’s inner circle. In a document spanning over 800 pages, the Federal Police detailed the so-called “Green and Yellow Dagger” coup plan, which included assassinations, acts of terrorism, fabricated popular support, disinformation campaigns, and the deployment of tanks in the streets. Join us to explore the details and consequences of this coup attempt, which had been in motion for over a month before the January attack on the Congress building.
See you soon!
About Gavin Grimm:
Gavin Grimm is a prominent transgender activist known for his role in advancing transgender rights in the United States. Gavin grew up in Virginia and became nationally recognized for his involvement in a landmark legal case challenging discriminatory policies against transgender students.
Like Aaron Swartz, Gavin’s journey into activism began as a teenager, while attending Gloucester High School in Virginia. In 2014, when he was just 15 years old.
Beyond his legal battle, Gavin has become an inspirational figure, speaking publicly about the challenges faced by transgender individuals and the importance of equality and inclusivity in schools and society, and also raises awareness about issues such as homelessness and climate change.
We find Gavin inspiring and can’t wait to have him on the show!
About Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board
Feeling marginalized and dehumanized by the Gloucester County School Board’s policy of requiring students to either use restrooms corresponding to their sex assigned at birth or to use private, single-stall restrooms, Gavin filed a lawsuit against the school board in 2015, with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The case, Gavin Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board, argued that the school board’s policy violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs, as well as the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Gavin’s case gained significant attention and became a pivotal force in the struggle to protect transgender rights. After a lower court initially ruled against him, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Gavin in 2016, leading to an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court vacated the decision and sent the case back to the lower courts following changes in federal guidance on transgender student rights by the Trump administration.
In August 2019, the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of Gavin, declaring the Gloucester County School Board’s policy unconstitutional, a decision that was upheld by the Fourth Circuit in 2020. The school board’s petition to the Supreme Court for review was denied in 2021, effectively ending the case with a victory for Gavin and the broader transgender rights movement.
About Andre Sobral:
Representing Aaron Swartz Institute in Brazil, André Sobral is a postdoctoral researcher at the Digital Technology for Democracy Lab in the University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy.
As a sociologist specialized in the effects of technology over society, he has dedicated his career to the investigation of political applications of computers and social media platforms.
About Lisa Rein:
Lisa is a co-founder of Aaron Swartz Day and a co-founder of Creative Commons, where she worked with Aaron Swartz on its technical specifications. You can learn more about Lisa and how she co-founded Aaron Swartz Day in this podcast produced by Michal Wisniowski and the Kitchen Sisters.
Lisa is Chelsea Manning’s Archivist and was her ‘Communications Liason’ from December 2015 – May 2017, and led Chelsea’s commutation campaign. She is Timothy Leary’s Digital Librarian and a musician and visual artist, performing as Lunar Elf.
Lisa is the Producer/Director/Editor/Co-host of the Mindplex Podcast, with Ben Goertzel and Desdemona Robot, since early 2023. She enjoys developing and testing Desdemona’s dialogue systems, and is proud to be the producer of the only robot-hosted podcast on YouTube.
