Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tobias Barrington Wolff

@tobiasbwolff.bsky.social

2.7K followers 230 following 250 posts

Dad to Spark, feminist, anti-racist, Jefferson Barnes Fordham Professor at Penn Law, dogged optimist in the power of decency. 🏳️‍🌈 FB: https://www.facebook.com/tobias.b.wolff/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@tobiasbwolff .. more

Videos

Tobias Barrington Wolff is a professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School where he teaches classes on sexuality and the law, same sex marriage and human rights. He is known for his legal advocacy on same sex marriage and other LGBT-related issues, and served as the chief advisor and spokesperson on LGBT issues for Barack Obama throughout his 2007-08 presidential campaign. He is openly gay. .. more

Political science 38%

Business 16%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Philip Nel, Jo Barraket , and 2 more Stephen M. Walt, Philip Nel, Jo Barraket, Tobias Barrington Wolff, Stuart Shapiro

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 6d

🚨BREAKING: A federal judge Saturday blocked President Donald Trump’s call-up of the National Guard for a deployment in Portland, saying Trump’s actions were based on false claims and undermined Oregon’s sovereignty. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Seizure of Oregon National Guard for Portland Deployment

Video of the memorial service for Professor Robert Paul Wolff

I am pleased to present the video from the memorial held at the University of Massachusetts—Amherst last Friday to celebrate the life and work of Professor Robert Paul Wolff. The full program lasted about 90 minutes. My remarks about my Dad start around time index 1:03:00 but all the speakers are well worth your time. My thanks once again to

Reposts 0 17d

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 17d

I watched about 30 seconds of Confused Oompa Loompa yelling at the assembled diplomats of the United Nations while clearly under the delusion that he was sitting on a stool at the corner bar ranting about "those damned hippies" and that is quite enough thank you.

4 14

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 18d

Keeping my feet planted firmly on the ground today.

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 27d

💪

Reposted by Tobias Barrington Wolff

Unicorns Happen @silvy777.bsky.social · 27d

This is how they survived, with solidarity, mutual aid. This is how we will survive until this fascist regime is defeated.

1 37 180

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 27d

These people have nothing to offer. They are all memes and soulless shouting, corruption and avarice, an Orange shape discharging obscene sounds and smells while eager piranha dart about vying to cause pain.

2/2

1 3 23

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 27d

One thing I take away from the last few days: This Regime is empty. There is no foundation, no core, no center that can hold, no stability, no creed or code. I understood all this before but the latest round of desperate, ugly, crass performance has given that dreadful truth new sharpness.

1/2

1 12 46

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 27d

And now Romania.

www.reuters.com/world/drone-...

Drone breaches Romanian airspace during Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine

Romania scrambled fighter jets on Saturday when a drone breached the country's airspace during a Russian attack on Ukrainian infrastructure near the border, the defence ministry said.

www.reuters.com

1 2 6

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 29d

Very helpful, thank you.

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 29d

We've gotten off on a really wrong foot here. I don't know exactly what to say to change your impression. I genuinely appreciate the input you've offered. I don't automatically accept it as authoritative and correct but I take it seriously and will pay more attention to how "trans activist" is used.

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 29d

OK, I appreciate the clarification, thank you.

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 29d

I appreciate the input and will take it seriously. I did not consider my response defensive. I trust you can understand that your replies did not come across as an inquiry so much as lowkey accusatory. Now you're putting me on blast, which is your prerogative. In any event, I appreciate the input.

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 29d

Young White man named Tyler turned in by his family and currently in the custody of state authorities. We will see what there is to learn about his politics and the motivation for this targeted assassination. I doubt it will conform to the story the Right has been screaming at the top of their lungs

10 3 52

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 29d

The embodiment of a troll—a mediocre, unimpressive troll.

1 6

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 29d

I beg your pardon? The woman who coined this language is both trans and an activist—she works full time attempting to advance sound policy for trans lives and educate the public about assaults on trans rights. The word "activist" is not owned by hostile opponents.

4 1

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 29d

What is your question?

Substack

Robert Paul Wolff: In Memoriam

Next Friday, September 19 the University of Massachusetts at Amherst will host a memorial service honoring the life and work of Robert Paul Wolff, who left this troubled world on the troubled day of January 6, 2025. The celebration of my father's legacy will be held in Old Chapel at UMass, the Romanesque structure built in 1885 that is the architectural…

Reposts 0 29d

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · 29d

A trans activist referred to the Department of Defense as the "deadname" for the Department of War following its "transition" and I may not recover.

1 2 16

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · Sep 8

Flag Burning, the First Amendment and a Weak and Foolish Executive Order.

tobiasbarringtonwolff275915.substack.com/p/flag-burni...

Flag Burning, the First Amendment and a Weak and Foolish Executive Order

In his increasingly flailing efforts to divert attention away his role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking and rape of minors, the current occupant of the Presidency is now trying to push the “flag b...

tobiasbarringtonwolff275915.substack.com

1 4

Substack

Flag Burning, the First Amendment and a Weak and Foolish Executive Order

In his increasingly flailing efforts to divert attention away from his role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking and rape of minors, the current occupant of the Presidency is now trying to push the “flag burning” button. Mr. T***p has been holding forth about the outrage of flag burning as a form of protest and issued an

Reposts 0 Sep 8

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · Sep 6

From my friend and law school classmate Professor Ryan Goodman. The number of people in the boat they targeted always made the drug smuggling claim suspect.

2 5

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · Sep 6

I just had occasion to go to a Department of Defense website and discovered that their URLs have already been redirected to "War.gov" links. These man-babies think screaming WAR!!! makes them tough. Just pathetic.

7 23 140

Tobias Barrington Wolff @tobiasbwolff.bsky.social · Sep 6

Rodrigo Duterte is being prosecuted at the ICC in The Hague right now for engaging in extrajudicial assassinations of alleged drug traffickers when he was the autocratic President of the Philippines. Just for some context.

14 140 470