Essay: No Transit

Image accompanying my essay: Activists from the human rights group, Doctors for Camp Closures, hold illuminated signs on a freeway overpass next to the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego, California, in February 2020. The group is calling for the end of US immigration detention centers and the US policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico and Central America to wait for their asylum court appointments. EFE/EPA/DAVID MAUNG

In January 2021, my piece on the mistreatment of transgender asylum seekers in the United States was published on Open Global Rights.

Trump administration enacted an unprecedented reduction in the number of asylum seekers admitted to the United States—admissions are only about 16% of the cap the Obama administration established in 2016. Transgender asylum seekers, who are already more at-risk than typical applicants, now face tremendous hurdles and abuse as they try to survive in the opaque confines of this increasingly constrictive immigration system.

Immigrant Song Podcast

Immigrant Song is my ongoing project about undocumented immigration within the United States. It’s also now also a podcast. In each episode we will discuss a specific and timely topic on the subject of immigration. You’ll hear facts and figures but also interviews with people who are experts or who’ve been affected by our immigration laws. You can find the podcast on Apple, Google Play, Overcast, Pocketcasts, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spotify, TuneIn, and other popular platforms for podcasts.  

You can also follow this project on Facebook and Twitter.

Images From the White Continent

An exhibit of my photography from Antarctica, entitled Images from the White Continent was on display at both locations of Arts & Crafts in New York for April/May and June/July, respectively.

From my artist’s statement:

In December of 2016, I took a six-week sabbatical from work and was fortunate enough to visit Antarctica. I approached the continent then with a deep sense of gratitude, which would soon be overtaken by awe.

Moving through Antarctic waters felt like traversing another planet. Known as the White Continent for the color of its icy, snowy landscapes, Antarctica also shares an astonishing display of greys and surprises you with bright electric blues. The animals here exist in innocence. The only human visitors they receive generally treat them with respect and their resulting lack of fear for us is reflected in surprising states of intimacy and repose. Though your experience may be punctuated by tremendous displays of life—visiting a penguin colony with tens of thousands of inhabitants—the overall experience is one of surprising tranquility. Moments of animal community are just as likely to be balanced by moments of solitary animal experiences. This environment then—alien as it is—speaks to us of our own experience, even as we are reminded that we are strangers in a strange and beautiful land. All the more reason for us to approach this great continent with curiosity and wonder, but especially with care.

These photographs were taken over just five days visiting the Antarctic Peninsula.

Privacy and Data Security Studies

In July, 2018, I studied for a week at Georgetown University, where I earned a Certificate in Privacy and Data Security via the Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía (Higher Institute of Law and Economics) of Madrid in Spain. I enjoyed meeting students from Spain, Portugal, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico.

Internet Freedom Festival

In March 2018, I again enjoyed attending the Internet Freedom Festival in Valencia, Spain, where I lead a workshop on Collaborative Exercises for Digital Design. I also enjoyed working a UX clinic with my colleague Kyle Outlaw and helping attendees, who were working on various web sites and apps applicable to the privacy and security community.

Trump Tower Project

In 2016, I began working on a photography project featuring photos outside of Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan—Donald Trump's primary residence before he was elected President that year. Since then, I've returned regularly to examine the peculiar dynamics of that area, focusing specifically on protestors, supporters, the police presence, and the reactions of passing tourists.

Here's a selection of images from that project, as well as a listing of the resulting photo essays on Medium.com.