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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈

@bstingstl.bsky.social
991 followers 324 following 1.4K posts

•PhD Student, 20th Century US History. •Former Alderman, St. Louis City. •Former Chair, MO Dem LGBTQ Caucus. •Constitutional Law/American Studies/Classical Studies. •Humanist.

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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Why didn't anyone tell me that my new glasses contract my face? "Liam, you look great! Have you lost weight?" "Sure did! Got a new pair of glasses and dropped two inches off my face, just like that!" My glasses are out here bending light, space, and time itself. 😭
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
If anyone is wondering what the first semester of a PhD program looks like, it's dancing to disco divas in your bathrobe the day after melting your brain with Marx and EP Thompson.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I'm delighted to announce that I've been invited to submit a paper for a conference next year. (Sure, every member of the organization was invited to submit via an email blast, but I was invited too, so it counts 💅🏻)
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I spent this summer going through a forgotten box at a uni archive. Insofar as the archivists knew, I was one of two researchers to ever request those materials that contained an untold story. But what to title it? Well, folx, it came to me in a dream last night! Feels like a right of passage.
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MapQuest @mapquest.com · 27/08/2026
We're not changing the name of Lake Ontario. Name it whatever you want at your leisure: gulfof.mapquest.com/lakeontario (tag us so we can see your work 🙂)
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Why are we collectively surprised that Graham's sister won the Republican primary for US Senate, when "why isn't Joe Biden on my ballot?" — the biggest news of Summer '24 — was one of the top Google searches on election day?
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Another coffee thought, data centers: the use of zoning laws and admins to circumvent the electorate is not only an egregious violation of public administration, but is likewise yet another use of zoning to enact the whims of the wealthy. Zoning was the successful frontier for encoding inequality.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Random coffee thought: what if 'wine -dark sea' (οΐνοψς πόντος) is a reference to a concentration of the sea's fury? Casey was just washing a glass of red wine from last night, and the added water turns the dark red remnants to a shade of blue that definitely made me think of the ocean. Further...
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18/08/2026
Ossoff on why he invoked Natalie Harp during his speech: "We're in wartime. The commander in chief has mired us in this geopolitical disaster. People have lost their lives ... and he retreats into this bubble of West Wing aides who are his security blanket to make him feel good about himself"
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Hear me out: The Odyssey but with the Titanic soundtrack.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Rehomed the bee swarm we captured back in April. Sent them on to a young family that recently lost a hive — what could be better? I always wanted to be a beekeeper since I was a small child, and I got to be one here in the City of St. Louis. I didn't think rehoming them would be so emotional! 🐝🧳😭
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Net some colleagues at a bar/grill this evening, and I commented on how they must've put on the Millennial playlist for us. It was part of an early-2000s classics list.
static.klipy.com
Hide The Pain Harold Harold
ALT: Hide The Pain Harold Harold
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Republicans passed the 22nd Amendment, which limits Presidents to two terms (in observation of the Washington tradition, which was actually Washington's nod to Roman Dictator Cincinnatus, but I digress) in reaction to FDR's election to four-terms. Republicans cheating democracy isn't new.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
I got new glasses in a new style and it elicited both a haphazard lip bit and, apparently, duck lips. Needless to say I felt cute, I love the new glasses, I'm definitely getting back to my pre-politics fitness, and I'm okay making silly faces as I relearn being comfortable in my own skin. #mcm
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fravery.bsky.social @fravery.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
by David Hockney
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
This happens in at least one of the Congressional chambers nearly every legislative session. The only way that this is even worthy of a headline at this point, is if the Senate likewise passes it and it actually goes into law. Please correct if wrong, but this is a USDA Grade A nothingburger.
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 11/07/2026
Suddenly, all the sanewashing of Trump and breathless coverage of Biden's age and Hillary's emails doesn't seem like it was a good idea.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Fondly remembering the time that I helped a young man with something trivial and he thanked me, paused, and timidly wished me a Happy Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to those dads out there, both known and undetermined!
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
This is exactly why your local and state governments have Requests for Proposals, third-party studies, conflicts of interest, etc. The Trump Administration — and more broadly, the Republican party — are contemporary examples of why Public Administration and anti-cronyism measures exist.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I always come crawling back to Canvas.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I intend to return to politics after my doctorate so I have to exercise some restraint here on Al Gore's Internet, but I can flash a humble bicep for #Pride, right? 🏳️‍🌈
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Me, watching all of the cool fit gay guys posting their sexy and youthful 'Happy Pride' posts while I read Tebbits' Philosophy of Law in an old bath robe, all curmudgeon-like. Happy Pride!
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
"I realized that I'd never thought about British geography." -My husband, B.S. in Geography, to me, at showtunes Sunday, as he peruses a map of Britain and not the veritable cornucopia of showtunes.
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The Onion @theonion.com · 22/05/2026
ST. LOUIS—Apologizing to all customers who had received a defective product, pet food giant Fancy Feast issued a massive recall Friday for 1 million cans of food that cats just kind of stared at before wandering away.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
We're halfway through this, the year of our lord 2026, where LLMs can generate entire music albums within minutes, and trying to use my godforsaken printer is still an infuriating and damaging experience. Make it make sense, Brother printer company.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Pleased to announce that I was just awarded a year-long fellowship for the study of constitutional democracy. Alexa, you know what to play:
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Not bad for 33, eh? Happy birthday to me — I've finally hit a billion-ish seconds! Now to figure out what to do with the next billion. So far it includes antacids, preventative stretching, and the initial exchanges in the battle for my hairline. :D!
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Things suck. But, the second civil rights movement is going to be fought with a much larger porportion of the population in support of it, and with a citizenry that thinks nostalgically about the relative prosperity and strength of the United States during its era as a multicultural democracy.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Next week is my 33rd birthday and all I want is for my country to calm the fuck down.
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George Wallace @mrgeorgewallace.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Just makin' it clear for your asses. Erasing the voices of black and brown people is not "agree to disagree" territory.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 29/04/2026
Men will say "honor us or else we'll engage in a bunch of stupid brutal violence" and then do the stupid brutal violence regardless.
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"Sweet Man" Cam @malaiseforever.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
my favorite part of people telling us not to eat ultra processed foods is that it always stops there. no suggestions for how to make this a systemic change, no effort to limit availability of ultra processed foods. it's just "you know the food that's everywhere and affordable? stay away from it."
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Well good morning to me, I guess.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
That horrifying moment you tell the cat to stop messing with the blinds behind you, except that the cat is sitting next to you and also wondering what the hell that was.
media.tenor.com
a black cat is laying down on a bed and looking at the camera .
ALT: a black cat is laying down on a bed and looking at the camera .
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
A fun little fact about me: I had anemophobia — a fear of strong winds — as a child. It could be an absolutely cloudless day but if trees were whipping around, I'd be inconsolable if I had to go outside. So, anyway, I'm probably taking an edible and posting up in the basement today. GLHF y'all!
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
The absurdity of this Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act is beyond parody or satire. 100 of the most influential Americans working diligently to determine whether or not our poorest deserve to buy a hot chicken. Just insulting. Put the US Senate on SNAP for one month and see how quickly it's reformed.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
A month or so into my tenure as Alderman, Ray invited me onto his radio show for an interview. An incredibly nice guy and gracious interviewer — he put you at ease. Hartmann certainly left an indelible mark on St. Louis. A tragic loss for our region, to say the least. STTL, Ray!
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
I started Dr. Schrader's latest book 'Blue Power' this morning. The introduction alone should be required reading — for students who study Postwar America, policymakers at all levels of government, and citizens who give a damn about our modern political hellscape.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Hey, @nytimes.com, the City of St. Louis would like a word.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
We're rhyming pretty damn hard with the immediate post-WWII era here. Surprise: it's most likely to benefit contractors, not society, once again. "The US is short 10 million houses. A new White House report lays out a blueprint to fix that" —AP
apnews.com
The US is short 10 million houses. A new White House report lays out a blueprint to fix that
White House economists estimate the United States has a shortage of 10 million houses. That's according to a report out Monday.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Me, patiently waiting for an academic association I joined less than an hour ago to give me access to their journal archive:
media.tenor.com
a man in a suit and tie is running down a street in front of a fence .
ALT: a man in a suit and tie is running down a street in front of a fence .
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Miss me with those bad-faith "both sides are the same" arguments.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
The looming threat of nuclear armageddon is no excuse not to vote, St. Louis. Vote 'Yes!' on Prop E and retain that 1% earnings tax! Cause ain't nobody in the City of St. Louis out here saying "oh, but we already have so much money!"
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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
“I feel liberated,” one top banker told the Financial Times in January 2025. “We can say ‘retard’ and ‘pussy’ without the fear of getting cancelled.… It’s a new dawn.” Wonder where that guy is today and what he thinks about this all.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
We're in the era of the 'Ugly American', and it's dealt a serious blow to my belief that, generally speaking, people are good. That may have been true before social media, Newt Gingrich, and modern conservatism, but it isn't true anymore. And it breaks my heart, over and over again.
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Kashana @kashana.blacksky.app · 07/04/2026
Armageddon is terrible, but our only other option was diversity trainings at work.
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
English, in all its vast majesty, nevertheless fails to provide the words necessary to express my absolute loathing of LLMs at drive-thrus. Why are they always coded as young white women? What's being recorded during the interaction? Why must LLMs pervade every aspect of society?
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Liam Z. Stephens 🏳️‍🌈 @bstingstl.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
A small anecdote from history (and mostly because I'm on an Enron kick at the moment), but the same was said about Kenneth Lay, former CEO of Enron, upon the announcement of his nineteen convictions. "You've committed massive fraud and harm — just like Jesus!" 🙄
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Alex Blechman @alexblechman.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
The Supreme Court ruled that nobody is a U.S. citizen Chief Justice Roberts stated “No person can be in this country. We all have to leave. Now.” The judges packed up their robes and are getting on a boat
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch @stltoday.com · 02/04/2026
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author being "Interpreter of Maladies" and "The Namesake" will talk about her work, writing in Italian and more when she accepts the award on April 8.
stltoday.com
Jhumpa Lahiri to receive St. Louis Literary Award for work on belonging
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author being "Interpreter of Maladies" and "The Namesake" will talk about her work, writing in Italian and more when she accepts the award on April 8.
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