siobhan mcdonough

@siobhan-m

@uaw.org 2320 NOLSW national trustee chair. @cambridgedsa.bsky.social. civil rights lawyer🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️. wife girl. opinions my own, not legal advice. join dsa: bdsa.us/joinus

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siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jul 16

thinking about how a lotta blue-no-matter-who cis people treated me like a hysterical [t-slur] for saying before the 2024 election that the Democratic Party wouldn’t stand up for us

OPINION: Democrats
Won't Protect Trans
People-Only Socialists and Unions Can
October 21, 2024 1 0
12 mins read
By: Siobhan M.

Democrats Retreat On Trans Rights
However, in the face of increased Republican pressure on the issue, the Democratic Party establishment has notably changed their tune on trans rights. No trans people spoke at the 2024 DNC, and trans rights were only briefly mentioned twice. Harris's response to these Trump ads— other than silence -has been to criticize Trump for transition-related procedures provided to incarcerated people during his administration. The Biden administration, in May, went along with a Republican plan to ban Pride flags at U.S. embassies. The Democratic nominees for U.S. Senate in Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin are even running ads explicitly opposing trans rights.
"NO, TAMMY BALDWIN DIDN'T GIVE FUNDING TO A 'TRANSGENDER-AFFIRMING CLINIC'"
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/3/24
Excerpt from an ad supporting Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). Credit: Tammy Baldwin for Senate.

Establishment Democratic Party Senators and their allies are also starting to take anti-trans legislative action. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) blocked a federal judge nominee on the grounds that she had previously ruled to allow an incarcerated trans woman to transfer to a
women's prison-sending a signal to careerist-oriented judges to not make similar rulings in the future. Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV), a former Democrat still in their Senate caucus, also joined with Republicans to push through committee prohibitions on some trans healthcare for veterans and their families. Across the highest levels of American government, trans people are seeing a sharp change in tune from a Democratic Party that was recently proud of its support for trans rights.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jul 9

these cops are out of control. shooting at a moving car over an alleged traffic violation is indefensible.

In a fifth shooting in December, a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper assigned to the task force opened fire at a vehicle and struck one person, after the car didn't pull over in a traffic stop.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jul 7

this paragraph from brett kavanaugh’s opinion in the trans sports ban case—wherein he whines about people calling him anti-trans—really epitomizes the conservative crybullying ethos. he’s taking away our rights and has the gall to complain about criticism for it.

Second, we do not accept the dissent's assumed monopoly on understanding the effects on individuals involved in disputes over transgender athletes. We are acutely aware of the difficulties sometimes faced by boys who identify as girls (and by girls who identify as boys) in middle school, high school, and beyond. And we greatly admire the desire of all students, including transgender students such as
B. P. J., who want to participate in sports.
But in
conducting the equal protection inquiry, we must also account for the effects on girls who are forced to compete against biological males in sports.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jul 6

and yes, the council knew how cops misused these at the time they authorized them. from an article i wrote about this vote in february of 2025:

While the Council's majority seemed unconcerned by automated licence plate recognition technology, commenters noted it is a powerful tool to aid police misconduct and repression. Across "hundreds" of documented cases, police misused license plate readers "to get information on romantic partners, business associates, neighbors, journalists and others for reasons that have nothing to do with daily police work." Virginia police were also caught using theirs to build databases of individuals attending political rallies.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jul 5

here is the specific sotomayor quote in question, pulled from a longer piece i wrote about democrats & trans rights in october 2024

To their credit, Democrats' other proposed Title IX rule,
"Enforcement of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 With Respect to Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Light of Bostock v.
Clayton County," was generally seen quite positively by advocates for trans rights when it was proposed in June of 2021, excepting the absence of protections in sport. It recognized harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity as prohibited sex-based harassment and granted trans students' rights to use gender-appropriate bathrooms and locker rooms. However, after it was challenged in court, Democrats and their appointed justices ultimately appeared to abandon the proposal. In her dissent in Department of Education v. Louisiana
(2024), Justice Sonia Sotomayor-an Obama appointee
- wrote, "Every Member of the Court agrees" to block
"three provisions of that Rule: 34 CFR §106.10 (2023) (defining sex discrimination), §106.31(a)(2) (prohibiting schools from preventing individuals from accessing certain sex-separated spaces consistent with their gender identity), and §106.2's definition of hostile environment harassment." Sotomayor further
acknowledged the Biden administration, despite proposing the rule, "does not contest" the blocking of provisions allowing locker room and bathroom access or prohibiting a hostile school environment for queer and trans students.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jul 5

the idea of this piece, that it’s courageous to be a Democrat like Seth Moulton—who throws vulnerable people under the bus & works with Republicans to grow the bloated military budget*—is deeply silly *notably, also growing his own investments in military contractors

As America marks its 250th birthday, it is worth remembering how often this nation has been shaped by those who first served it in uniform. George Washington led us through our founding. Eisenhower and Kennedy carried their military service into the nation's highest office and governed with conviction. Seth Moulton stands in that tradition.
Moulton is one of ten leaders profiled in Rye Barcott's new book, "Courage Can Save Us." As Barcott writes, this moment
"demands leaders willing to govern across party lines ... and choose courage over outrage." After reading the chapter on Moulton, I'd urge every Massachusetts voter to learn his story.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jul 4

this fourth of july, i’m thinking about democracy, reconstruction, and the need for a new american founding.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 30

this shit is odious. as i wrote on behalf of harvard law’s gender violence program to the department of education back in 2023, it was wrong for the biden administration to try to find a “middle ground” on trans sports bans. it remains wrong today.

Between unsupportive parents, expensive treatments, and harmful state policies, it is
difficult for many transgender young people to transition at all, and especially difficult to transition early enough to avoid undergoing the wrong puberty. By allowing states to use the goal of competitive fairness to distinguish between transgender student-athletes based on the timing or status of their medical transition, the Biden administration is leaving open the possibility of additional discrimination against vulnerable young people already facing obstacles.

There is also every reason to believe these invasive sex verification requirements would
be discriminatorily applied. Women of color, and especially Black women, are regularly framed
as insufficiently feminine. Serena Williams is perhaps the most famous example. Throughout her career as a Black woman dominating the women's tennis world, Serena was frequently dogged by unfounded rumors that she was transgender.? In 2014, the head of the Russian Tennis Federation was fined and suspended for referring to Serena and her sister, Venus, as the
"Williams brothers" and saying looking at them was "scary. One can only imagine the lengths to which parents of opposing athletes would have gone to "verify" Serena's gender if she grew up in the current wave of anti-transgender hysteria. This is not purely hypothetical for today's
successful young athletes - a girl in Utah had her gender investigated by the Utah High School Activities Association after two parents complained about her beating their daughters "by a wide margin."2 By permitting the continued exclusion of some transgender youths from school sports, the Biden administration is reinforcing a world in which every young athlete's gender is up for debate by any nearby adult.

Title IX's overarching purpose is to allow all students full access to the educational
opportunities their schools have to offer, regardless of sex. The Biden administration's proposal may have begun with this purpose in mind, but it would fail to protect access for vulnerable students. By inadequately considering the many barriers to gender affirming care, it would
permit the competition-based exclusion of many transgender young people solely because they are unable to access necessary healthcare. Its approved methods of determining sex-based eligibility and lack of clear, bright line rules would force Black girls, intersex people, and transgender students from poor or unsupportive families to bear the brunt of invasive and
exclusionary state policies. Instead, the administration should support full inclusion of
transgender athletes through high school and a return to the NCAA's 2010 framework for college
athletes.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 30

fuck brett kavanaugh. fuck the supreme court. trans people belong everywhere

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 29

i guess he wasn’t too upset about trump & hegseth murdering fishermen after all

POLITICO
Former GOP officials fear US strikes on alleged drug smugglers aren't legal
By ordering the military to blow up suspected drug boats, Trump is testing the limits of executive power again.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Washington. | AP
Photo/Alex Brandon
By ELI STOKOLS and JOSH GERSTEIN
09/16/2025 08:52 PM EDT

POLITICO
"There has to be a line between crime and
war," said John Yoo, a former deputy assistant attorney general under President George W. Bush. "We can't just consider anything that harms the country to be a matter for the military. Because that could potentially include every crime."

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 25

the dynamic new message they’re pitching to voters:

"Promise to America" initiative that commits candidates to a set of centrist principles, including capitalism, fiscal discipline, strong borders and pride in the United States.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 24

democratic socialist Christian Benford won his primary last night in Frederick County, MD

Democratic Candidates - Vote for 1 (10 of 10 election day precincts reported)
Name
Party
Early Voting
Day
In
Ballot
Election Mail- Provisional Total

Percentage
Christian
Benford
Democratic
436
1,074
12
NR

1,522 54.36%

Natasha Valencia
Democratic
390
885
3
NR
1,278
45.64%
Totals

826
1,959
15
NR

2,800 100.00%

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 24

massive Ws today in new york for socialism & uaw & also people i personally think are great

siobhan with other UAW members supporting claire valdez

siobhan holding lit for claire valdez, david orkin, & aber kawas

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 23

and a member of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers! we’re proud to be supporting him and our UAW siblings running as democratic socialists in New York

graphic from uaw 2320 to vote for david, conrad, darializa, and claire

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 21

Iran broke the deal? this is blaming Iran for Israel’s actions and the U.S.’s refusal to threaten real consequences and stop them

• The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war, by signing this MOU, declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon and other provisions of this paragraph.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 18

it’s been a busy week at the button factory

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 18

i made LIMITED EDITION @evanforcambridge.bsky.social buttons, available while supplies last at tomorrow’s summer launch party. can’t wait to see you there!

evan mackay buttons. one reading “whose house? THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE” with a photo of the MA state house. the other reading “I ❤️ EVAN” with a photo of evan

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 12

left: moulton citing changing acquisitions rules for why the 2026 NDAA is good right: lawyer for defense contractors citing changing acquisitions rules for why the 2026 NDAA is good

Improved the efficiency of DoD acquisition by giving program managers direct control over their teams to ensure they can hold their staff accountable for poor performance.

Key Takeaways for Contractors
NDAA 2026 brings to bear a multitude of acquisition priorities and a host of regulatory and policy changes relating to DoD acquisitions. Increasing the noncompetitive acquisition thresholds at Section 1804 benefits contractors and defense agencies, particularly given the administration's priorities to speed up acquisitions and eliminate unnecessary regulatory burdens as espoused in Executive Order 14275, Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement. See 90 Fed. Reg. 16447 (April 15, 2025). Additionally, contractors should welcome the increased thresholds that trigger a major system designation, carving out a greater swath of contracts from bearing the regulatory burden that accompanies such a designation. Additionally, the increase to these thresholds may provide a more welcoming ecosystem that encourages greater entrance to and participation in the defense industrial base. Defense contractors should take heed and update their corporate policies and acquisition templates to account for these acquisition threshold increases.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 5

join us at dyke march today or pride tomorrow for a free, limited-edition button made by yours truly💖

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 4

while i’m at it, i helped start a YDSA chapter and led it for 2 years, served in leadership in 2 different DSA chapters, and was elected to leadership of the 7,000-member UAW 2320, the National Organization of Legal Services Workers. also i have a *gorgeous* wife

wife and i in our wedding dresses. i am mid-twirl while she holds my hand over my head. we’re outdoors. the sun is setting in the distance and is visible through some trees.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 3

come join me & cambridge DSA for a button making workshop (and lots of other important stuff) this sunday! bdsa.us/CDSAJun07

cambridge dsa meeting graphic— Sunday 6/7, 10-11:30 am at the Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callander St

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 3

hi, thanks for covering this race—can you please correct this?

MacKay is a union leader and community organizer ideologically aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America. They emphasized their continuing crusade to end Massachuses state government corruption and noted in passing his family's commitment to foster care of more than 100 children.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 1

i don’t know tools what she used to draft this, but tricia geiger’s platform for her campaign against UAW president shawn fain does have a certain “not just x—but y” authorial style that feels,,, familiar

PREPARED
"Preparation is the Foundation of Power"
Preparation is not a strategy — it is a standard. It is how you earn respect in rooms that weren't built for you. It is how you walk into a bargaining session, an organizing campaign, or a difficult conversation with the
confidence to make the right call instead of the easy one. Every commitment in this platform — trained bargainers, developed leaders, data-driven organizing, researched positions - flows from the same beliet: that the people counting on you deserve someone who did the work
before they showed up.

DEMOCRATIC
"Your Power. Your Choice. Your Union."
Member democracy is not a slogan in
this campaign — it is a governing principle with specific, structural commitments behind it, Bargaining agendas set by members, not presidents. Strike authorizations that require member votes, not press releases. CAP resources that respect local autonomy. Retirees with formal voice at the table. Election integrity that gives every candidate a fair shot.
This union belongs to its members.
Every decision this leadership makes will reflect that.

ACCOUNTABLE
"No Excuses. Not for Yourself.
Not for this Union."
Accountability starts yith the person asking for your trust. It means holding yourself to the highest standard first
— not because it is easy, but because credibility cannot be claimed. It can only be built through transparency, follow-through, and the integrity to acknowledge failure and fix it. The members of this union have been lied
to, let down, and asked to accept less than they deserve. That ends with leadership that answers for its decisions — every one of them.

GOVERNANCE AND INSTITUTIONAL
REFORM
The Promise was Reform. It's Time We Deliver It.
THE CHALLENGE
The Independent Monitor found: an ongoing culture of fear, retaliation, manipulation of compliance, aod
weakened financial oversight. This was not just about bad individuals - it was a system of unaccountable power that operated without a budget, without transparency, and without consequence. Members voted for reform. We have an obligation to deliver it. The union is in financial peril and we have to get our house under control.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· Jun 1

happy 2 year hrt-iversary to me💖 📸 @fionasgotit.bsky.social

siobhan standing at a podium and smiling

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· May 24

my general view on this is that attempts to do procedural radicalism from the left without attacking the constitutional framework are essentially doomed to failure in the medium & long terms. this piece is from 2021 but lays out the argument well

Abolishing the filibuster is a no-brainer, and D.C. residents certainly deserve statehood, as do Puerto Ricans if they so choose. However, even a 52-state Senate would retain a high level of racial bias. In the words of a recent Data for Progress memo, it is an "irredeemable institution," structurally hostile to democracy.

Some pundits have suggested more aggressive solutions. Political scientist David Faris has called for Democrats to "play. hardball" against the GOP, not only killing the filibuster and packing the courts, but also dividing California into seven states. This would give Democrats 14 new senators to "fix" their underrepresentation.
What would this fix look like in practice? Faris describes it as a democratizing reform, but the public is unlikely to perceive it this way.
Power is not shifted to a unified national people. It is shifted to the lucky Democrats who happen to live in the Seven Californias.
Will Democrats in Wyoming, New York, and Mississippi feel liberated? How will the residents of large Republican states react when Faris denies them the same partition treatment?

You'll stare at your television as enraged
Texans sack Los Angeles with weaponized bulldozers. "It's so sad that we've come to this," says your grandmother. "I like that Joe, but I never thought partitioning California was a good idea."
Fun stuff. The point is simple: Faris's
"hardball" solutions do not create an accountable democracy. They just slice up the People in a new way that happens to favor Democrats. The Electoral College remains in place (even with the partial modifications that Faris supports). Senators continue to serve staggered terms in gigantic winner-take-all districts. Brett Kavanaugh still sits on the Supreme Court for life. Packing the Senate and the courts is bound to enrage the Right, but these cynical power grabs are unlikely to energize a mass base on our side. It's just more divide et impera.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· May 21

“we have our own power. we have the power to live our lives unapologetically, joyously, and to set an example for all those who come after us. we have the power of solidarity, here with each other, and with all of those in the working class and all of the other oppressed people around the world.”

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· May 21

i was honored and heartbroken to speak at last night’s vigil in Boston for Eryka Caldwell and Juniper Blessing, two of my trans sisters who were taken from this world too soon

me speaking into a mic, standing in front of photos of juniper & eryka

memorial with photos of juniper & eryka, trans flags, handwritten notes, flowers, & pokémon merch

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· May 16

i know we’re in a saturated media environment but zionists paid Trump to pardon a right wing leader so he could attack leftist governments across latin america i can’t believe this story hasn’t broken through

According to the same leaks from Hondurasgate, Trump's pardon of JOH, days before the elections in Honduras, was not a gesture of clemency, but rather the initial payment in a larger agreement. In one of the recordings, Hernández explains it directly, though without revealing his interlocutor: "The pardon money didn't even come from you. It came from a group of rabbis and people who supported Israel." In another audio recording, he says that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "everything to do" with his release and the negotiations that made it possible.

The second installment of the Hondurasgate scandal, of the three released so far, includes a recording of' an alleged conversation between Hernández, who had become an operative in the region for the U.S. president, and the current president and vice president of Honduras, Nasry Asfura and María Antonieta Mejía,
respectively. The objective: to undermine the administrations of Claudia Sheinbaum and Gustavo Petro, both of whom adhere to left-wing ideologies.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· May 16

this is true, and we in the U.S. also have an obligation to oppose our federal government’s regime change blockade of Cuba i’m proud that Cambridge took a stand here after pressure from organizers—this was the sort of DSA x PSL collaboration i’d love to see more

City of Cambridge
POR 2026-95
FIRST IN COUNCIL
May 4, 2026
COUNCILLOR SOBRINHO-WHEELER
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
COUNCILLOR AL-ZUBI

WHEREAS:
Since March 14, 1958, the United States has maintained a trade embargo on Cuba; and
WHEREAS:
On January 29, 2026, President Trump signed Executive Order 14380 that labels Cuba an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the United States, serving as a pretext to impose severe economic penalties on any country that attempts to deliver oil or trade with Cuba; and
WHEREAS:
The consequences of this Executive Order have been measured in human suffering vith the most vulnerable children, the elderly, and the sick-bearing the brunt of this cruelty:
• Families left without power for light, refrigeration, and cooking;
• Hospitals risking the closure of wards and the suspension of critical treatments;
WHEREAS:
• The distribution of food and medicine being paralyzed; and
All nations have the right under international law to self-determination and to address their internal economic and social needs free from undue external coercion, consistent with the principles of sovereignty and non-intervention; and
WHEREAS:
Full restoration of trade and travel between the two countries would be of benefit to both, particularly in the areas of food production, economic opportunity, education, health care, tourism, the arts, music, and sports, along with medical and biotechnological research; and
WHEREAS:
For over 30 years, the UN General Assembly has voted annually, with an overwhelming majority, to condemn the US embargo on Cuba; and
WHEREAS:
The current United States policy toward Cuba is a special manifestation of harshness which is harmful to those with ties to Cuba, and especially hard on families in Cuba and in the Cuban-American community in the U.S.; and
WHEREAS:
In March 2021, the City Council unanimously passed POR 2021#50 affirming its support to lifting the United States' blockade on Cuba, with the City Councils in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ypsilanti…

ORDERED:
That the City Council go on record calling upon President Trump to immediately rescind Executive Order 14380, immediately enter meaningful negotiations with the Cuban government with the goal of ending the United States oil embargo, and carry out his foreign policy agenda with respect to the wishes of the people of the United States and in accordance with international law; and be it further
ORDERED:
That the City Council go on record calling for the immediate restoration of engagement with the Republic of Cuba as initiated by President Barack Obama; and be it further
ORDERED:
That the City Council go on record urging the United States Congress to promulgate and pass legislation that will finally end the unsuccessful and harmful 64-year old economic, financial, and commercial embargo on Cuba, as well as ending the travel restrictions on United States citizens and residents of Cuba, and Cuban citizens to the United States; and be it further
ORDERED:
That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward suitably engrossed copies of this Policy Order to Cambridge's delegation to the United States Congress on behalf of the entire Citv Council.

siobhan mcdonough@siobhan-m· May 14

i’ve been looking for an apartment and this sort of language is everywhere, it’s ridiculous. it almost feels like they’re mocking us