“My work is heavily influenced by critiques that many critical intellectual traditions, especially Critical Race Theory, have made of reform projects focused on legal equality.” MadeRaceTheoryProjectsIntellectualTraditionCriticalFocusedReformCritique Author:Dean Spade
“Legal doctrine requiring a showing of evidence of racist intent and a narrow chain of causation has made it very difficult to prove in court that a person or group is experiencing racism because the standards are too narrow and too focused on individual intentions.” PersonsMadeIndividualDifficultGroupsProveRacismStandardsEvidenceCourtIntentionFocusedDoctrineChainsMade ItRacistCausation Author:Dean Spade
“Instead of focusing on what the law says about trans people, which is really what the law is saying about itself as a protector of trans people, we should be focused on what systems of law and administration do to trans people and our interventions should aim to dismantle harmful, violent systems such as criminal punishment and immigration enforcement.” PeopleShouldLawAimFocusedCriminalsPunishmentViolentImmigrationAdministrationEnforcementInterventionTransProtector Author:Dean Spade
“I went to law school which is a 3-year program in the US that is focused primarily on memorizing certain doctrines and taking exams that test whether you can apply those doctrines to help prepare for the bar exam. If you are lucky, you get a few classes where you are encouraged to think more critically and read critical texts rather than just casebooks, and perhaps write a paper that is not a legal memo or brief.” IfsThinkingWritingYearsHelpingSchoolLawCertainClassLuckyPaperProgramTestsCriticalFocusedBarsDoctrineWhere You AreExamLaw SchoolLucky YouMemorizingMemosBar Exam Author:Dean Spade
“I wrote Normal Life using concepts that have been helpful to me, and hoping to offer those as accessible tools for thinking differently about the pitfalls trans resistance faces, in particular the temptation to focus on legal equality and the limitations of that approach, and the alternative approaches being taken by racial and economic justice focused trans activists.” ThinkingHas BeensFacesJusticeTakenFocusEconomicParticularOffersNormalApproachConceptsToolsFocusedResistanceTemptationAlternativesLimitationHelpfulActivistTransNormal LifePitfallsEconomic JusticeThinking Differently Author:Dean Spade
“One particular debate that I have seen play out again and again is whether trans people who have more traditional gender expressions or who "pass" more should be the ones who are represented. A recent advocacy guide focused on advocating around trans health care access produced by the largest trans advocacy organization in the US instructs readers that advocacy will be more successful if the message is delivered by people who pass as non-trans men and women.” PeopleIfsMenShouldPlayCareSuccessfulParticularExpressionReaderMessagesMen And WomenOrganizationGenderFocusedGuidesAccessDebateTraditionalHealth CareAgain And AgainTransAdvocatingAdvocacy Author:Dean Spade
