Paul Renfro
@renfro.bsky.social
Historian at Florida State University. Wrote STRANGER DANGER (@oxunipress.bsky.social) and THE LIFE AND DEATH OF RYAN WHITE (@uncpress.bsky.social). Writing THOSE FEARFUL DAYS and THE PASSION OF MATTHEW SHEPARD for @liveright.bsky.social / @wwnorton.com.
Pinned
Spotted on I-10 West just outside of Rose City, Texas. The Cold War never ended.
November 25, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Spotted on I-10 West just outside of Rose City, Texas. The Cold War never ended.
This Chemex rebrand is doo-doo.
November 23, 2025 at 8:11 PM
This Chemex rebrand is doo-doo.
This is what happens when your university’s donors run jet-ski dealerships rather than multinational corporations. www.espn.com/college-foot...
FSU to retain embattled Norvell for 2026 season
Florida State football coach Mike Norvell, who is 7-16 (3-13 in ACC play) over the past two seasons, will return for a seventh year with the Seminoles.
www.espn.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:33 PM
This is what happens when your university’s donors run jet-ski dealerships rather than multinational corporations. www.espn.com/college-foot...
GLAZING COMMUNISM
November 22, 2025 at 12:43 AM
GLAZING COMMUNISM
There might be something to Zohran’s political strategy of being affable and championing policies that are actually popular. Maybe others should try this?
November 22, 2025 at 12:38 AM
There might be something to Zohran’s political strategy of being affable and championing policies that are actually popular. Maybe others should try this?
Reposted by Paul Renfro
Cf. @renfro.bsky.social's excellent book on Ryan White, which informed my thoughts on that 1980s moment of Hudson's diagnosis.
www.google.com/books/editio...
www.google.com/books/editio...
The Life and Death of Ryan White
In the 1980s, as HIV/AIDS ravaged queer communities and communities of color in the United States and beyond, a straight white teenager named Ryan White emerged as the face of the epidemic. Diagnosed ...
www.google.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Cf. @renfro.bsky.social's excellent book on Ryan White, which informed my thoughts on that 1980s moment of Hudson's diagnosis.
www.google.com/books/editio...
www.google.com/books/editio...
Pretty amazing that the guy on the right vacated the White House sixteen years after the guy on the left did, and the guy on the right is also four years older than the guy on the left.
November 20, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Pretty amazing that the guy on the right vacated the White House sixteen years after the guy on the left did, and the guy on the right is also four years older than the guy on the left.
So brave
Harvard's prosecutorial culture was "miserable," says Jill Lepore. Even so, she stayed, but has since come to regret her silence. https://chroni.cl/4ihof9O
Why Jill Lepore Nearly Quit Harvard
The prosecutorial culture was “miserable.” She stayed, but has come to regret her silence at the time.
www.chronicle.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:20 PM
So brave
This one didn’t want to complete our walk yesterday evening, so I had to carry him most of the way.
November 18, 2025 at 7:47 PM
This one didn’t want to complete our walk yesterday evening, so I had to carry him most of the way.
My state’s governor desperately needs a tailor—and an exorcist.
November 18, 2025 at 12:43 PM
My state’s governor desperately needs a tailor—and an exorcist.
Not bad for a thirty-eight-year-old faculty lounge lizard.
November 17, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Not bad for a thirty-eight-year-old faculty lounge lizard.
Crushed by Cavaliers
November 16, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Crushed by Cavaliers
Our widely reviled, deeply uncharismatic, and phenomenally awkward governor made the pilgrimage to Oxford, Mississippi, this weekend—possibly to encourage Lane Kiffin to become the next head coach of the Florida Gators. His visit probably didn’t have the intended effect.
November 16, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Our widely reviled, deeply uncharismatic, and phenomenally awkward governor made the pilgrimage to Oxford, Mississippi, this weekend—possibly to encourage Lane Kiffin to become the next head coach of the Florida Gators. His visit probably didn’t have the intended effect.
On my jog this morning, I inadvertently ran in the shape of Florida.
November 14, 2025 at 9:52 PM
On my jog this morning, I inadvertently ran in the shape of Florida.
Wrote 450 words and ran five miles before noon. Now That’s What I Call Sabbatical!
November 13, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Wrote 450 words and ran five miles before noon. Now That’s What I Call Sabbatical!
This shit is so exhausting and embarrassing.
November 11, 2025 at 12:21 AM
This shit is so exhausting and embarrassing.
Reposted by Paul Renfro
Had a great conversation with a group of students in one of my friend's classes at Georgetown. I had a short lecture about my book planned, but it was all Q&A (my favorite!). We just talked about how the ways we listen to music have changed over time.
November 10, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Had a great conversation with a group of students in one of my friend's classes at Georgetown. I had a short lecture about my book planned, but it was all Q&A (my favorite!). We just talked about how the ways we listen to music have changed over time.