Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 10hAnd just to follow up on this… because I came to the social sciences through a weird route, I don’t have a Membership Card and this has been extremely challenging. 100
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 10hSeeking help from social scientists. I am despairing about what to do with one of my papers. If you edit a journal in sociology or adjacent (or even a multidisciplinary journal) and don’t have secret unstated journal rules and aren’t a dick and reply to emails in less than a year, ping me? 🙏🙏🙏 031
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 11hSome of these practice questions are (literally) like "is hypoglycemia low blood sugar or high blood sugar?" And then some are like this. 👀 120
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 13hGiving myself $800,000. In Monopoly money. 020
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026I know we hate Amazon. But... if you want to read my book and can't access/afford, for reasons I do not understand, the book is on BIG discount on Amazon now ($17 for hardcover, down from $28). It’s an optimistic and accessible book about data and justice and it’ll make you feel good. Justifiably.amazon.comUnlocking Justice: The Power of Data to Confront Inequity and Create Change: Topaz, Chad M.: 9780691276151: Amazon.com: BooksUnlocking Justice: The Power of Data to Confront Inequity and Create Change [Topaz, Chad M.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Unlocking Justice: The Power of Data to Confront Inequ... 031
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Hi all! Here is my most recent data + justice newsletter blast, out just now. You can learn about data shenanigans in the federal government and you can feel some hope about a new-ish law in California. And... you can learn about how my book has found its way to Europe. Read, share, subscribe!buttondown.comUnlocking Justice overseas, the U.S. census, and a California lawDear friends, This month, I have news about Unlocking Justice in the European press, proposed changes to the U.S. census, and a California law that lets... 120
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 26/09/2026My life is confusing because in one part of my life ACS = American Community Survey and yet in a different part of my life ACS = Acute Coronary Syndrome. 240
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 26/09/2026I love this game ("Worst Interview"). Hard for me to choose between the school that insisted on referring to my (same sex) husband as my "friend," the one that was intent on knowing what kind of church I'd be attending (answer: none) and the one with the dean who thought insulting me was super fun. 4130
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I cannot. We are truly living in hell. feno.cofeno.coFenoThe World’s First Connected Smartbrush: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Smarter, Insightful Brushing 161
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I hereby volunteer to guest lecture about racial justice (and data) for any UT classes that will have me. 093
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Excited to share this interview I did with a Dutch news magazine! I have no idea what it says but the interviewer was genuinely completely delightful and awesome and was very kind about his interest in my book. www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/...nrc.nlEen Amerikaanse wiskundige laat met databestanden zien hoe onrechtvaardig het rechtssysteem kan zijnDiscriminatie: De activistische wiskundige Chad Topaz gebruikt dataonderzoek „om ongelijkheid aan te pakken”. Hij hoopt dat juristen meer kennis opdoen over kansberekening en statistiek. 010
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Proudly presenting my "100/30" rule: doing 100% of the strategies makes life 30% better. And is worth it. So, for sanity this week, I - Took social media off phone - Got rid of "Daily Reads" bookmarks - Re-started meditating - Re-started journaling - Quit 3 things - Cut 5 optional to-dos - Napped 091
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 23/09/2026What if "academia" was just the friends we made along the way? 090
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 23/09/2026I am just dying inside about this. I mean hey, if this is how it's gonna be, maybe my former dept could just AI some Black folx up in there.nytimes.comStanford Used A.I. to Swap Black Student for Hispanic Student in a PhotoUniversities have been accused of doctoring photos to showcase diversity in the past. In this case, a Black woman replaced a Hispanic young man, who said it was upsetting to be “erased.” 1124
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Just explained to a class of first years how academic publishing works and they were appropriately incredulous. "HOW much money do you make from publishing an article? Wait, you PAY money to publish an article??" From the mouths of babes. 1100
Reposted by Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race TraitorHuck Bennett @huckbennett.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Wow does the post title bury the lede! I particularly like the pictured comment. 35715
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 20/09/2026My child inexplicably loves living things, which is why over the course of his childhood there have been 3 dogs, 4 mice, a giant African millipede, etc. Today, he went to a reptile convention and came home with some type of snake. "What's its name" I asked. "Trouser." Trouser snake. I'm moving out. 132198
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 16/09/2026I emailed a textbook author to point out some outdated material about sex and gender in his book. Now we’re pals, and he’s asked his publisher for an update. A small, happy story about some decent people still left out there.🧵 2303
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 12/09/2026I must be honest that I have been MASSIVELY struggling to figure out how to react to mathematicians who now very suddenly care about the human element of math, only in light of genAI stealing everyone’s work. The best response I have, meant sincerely, is welcome to the party. 6364
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 01/09/2026That time your "philanthropic" foundation quietly scrubbed "racial justice" from its website? Yeah, I tabulated that. Foundations weren't even direct targets of Trump's anti-DEI orders — yet many cut DEI language anyway. The Wayback Machine remembers. Updated preprint: doi.org/10.31235/osf... 23311
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Whoa my book just got a glowing review in a math journal, and the best part is the reviewer’s main complaint: she kept wanting more math, then remembered it isn’t written for mathematicians. Correct! It’s for EVERYONE—no formulas, just stories of data fighting injustice. I hope you will read it. 414026
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 03/08/2026Making sure I don't wake up and accidentally drink a latte in the morning. 37118468
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 31/07/2026🧵🚨: Remember the recent #genAI cheating scandal at Brown? Everyone talks about the average score drop from take-home midterm to proctored final: 95.7 → 48.8. That number alone can't settle anything. But the released data can, and almost nobody has looked at it. So we did! Read on. #AcademicSkyarxiv.orgWhat exam scores can and cannot prove about unauthorized AI assistance: Evidence from a highly public classroom episodeIn spring 2026, an economics professor at Brown University gave a take-home midterm and, after unusually high scores, made the final exam proctored. Among the 59 students who completed the course, ave... 03813
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 30/07/2026Oh, you'd like a thorough, scientific debunking of this terrible WSJ piece about alleged rises in allegedly destructive estrangement from parents? HOLD MY FREAKIN' BEER.chadtopaz.comThe Number the Journal Doesn't Substantiate: A Response to the Wall Street Journal on Therapy and Estrangement — Chad M. TopazThe Journal says a survey of some 7,000 estranged parents found a third who believed their child's therapist had influenced the cutoff. The nearest public survey can't be reconciled with that number, ... 521289
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 19/07/2026Starting EMT training today and I have a *very* slight case of first-day-of-school jitters. At age almost-52. 6350
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Researchers: ever had a journal critique your writing as "too direct"? Sit on your paper for 519 days? Lie to you about process? Tenured-and-promoted me can laugh this stuff off. More vulnerable scholars cannot. Hooboy am I pleased to have this piece out today in @insidehighered.com. #AcademicSkyinsidehighered.com5 Bewildering Dispatches From Academic Publishing (opinion)The journals are fine. Everything is fine. 54715
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 05/07/2026Well I’m at band camp.* *Technically, it’s a chamber music festival and I’m a string player. But spiritually, it’s band camp. 1601
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Did you hear about the DC July 4 fireworks show? It promises 850,000 fireworks in 40 minutes. That's 354 per second. You'll miss up to 142 of them every time you blink. For your edutainment, I proudly present the nerdiest thing you will read about this dangerously absurd / absurdly dangerous event.chadtopaz.comThree Hundred Fifty-Four Fireworks per Second — Chad M. TopazOrganizers promise 850,000 fireworks in roughly 40 minutes over the National Mall this Saturday. I did what a mathematician does with a big number: I divided. It did not make the show look better. 54553253
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Dog #2 is unable to activate “down” mode for the steep stairs in our townhome. He stands at the top and whines to be carried. Helpless. Or so I believed, until I just caught him bounding down. Then he saw me, stopped midway, and whined. I actually admire the laziness + deception here. Impressive. 1514363254
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 26/06/2026Confession. @katelynburns.com, every time I see you here, the first thing my brain does is 1323
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 03/06/2026I want to thank everyone here for the amazing support and good cheer yesterday, my book's publication day. The kind words and pix of y'all with the book are deeply appreciated. I sincerely hope that it's a worthwhile read for you, and that it spreads some knowledge, humor, inspiration, and hope. 326513
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 02/06/2026Today is — at long last — official launch day for my book, "Unlocking Justice." I wrote it to help and to be hopeful. Tradition says I post a pic of me with the book. 🤷♂️I'm overthrowing tradition and posting (abbreviated) acknowledgments. This book exists only because of so many people. I feel moved. 55314
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 28/05/2026Harvard has just voted to cap grades: instructors may assign A's to a max of 20% of students (plus four) per course. The outcome will unfairly harm racially minoritized students and, through course evals, gender minoritized instructors. My new piece in Inside Higher Ed. #AcademicSky #EduSkyinsidehighered.comDon’t Follow Harvard on Grade Caps (opinion)The evidence suggests that limiting the number of A grades is not the way to go. 85017
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 26/05/2026A federal judge had sex with a police officer in chambers, lied about it in writing twice, and got a private reprimand. The public can't learn the judge's name. The system worked, judges say, because no conflict of interest landed on the docket. I am not having it. Read and share. #LawSkychadtopaz.comThe reprimand is sealed — Chad M. TopazA close reading of the Eleventh Circuit misconduct order affirmed in May 2026, and what it asks the public not to notice. 2226896
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 23/05/2026Since I was feeling a bit salty about math world over the last few days I decided to punish us all with this literal hell. You're welcome. 710232
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 22/05/2026I promise not to post every positive thing someone says about my book but since it's my first one and I am unreasonably excited I hope you will indulge me a little. I am so moved that people are getting something out of it. If you decide to read it I hope you do too: www.amazon.com/Unlocking-Ju... 3365
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 20/05/2026So, @tressiemcphd.bsky.social writes a brilliant (as usual) op-ed about genAI and some tech bro attempts to ridicule it. The guy, Mike Solana, is probably not worth my time but it seems he's gay and as a Gay, I am unduly annoyed by evil gays. Also, I'm bored. So here's my debunking of this guy.chadtopaz.comReceipts are receipts — Chad M. TopazA response to Pirate Wires on Tressie McMillan Cottom. Solana mocked her NYT column on celebrity AI promotion without disclosing that his employer Founders Fund is invested in the companies she critiq... 1128381
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 14/05/2026I am very pleased to have this op-ed about the Federalist Society out as of just now. Except that I would be more pleased if FedSoc did not exist. #LawSkyreligiondispatches.orgWhat 20,000 Federalist Society Events Reveal About the Conservative Legal MachineOn April 29, in Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court rendered Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, in Justice Kagan’s words, “all but a dead letter.” The 6-3 decision reset the rules for challenging... 65118
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 12/05/2026Many of us are livid about Kickstarter's new "mature content" rules. Over the past day, I have looked at a decade of data to see who may be harmed. Comic artists. Gender minorities. Disabled, deaf, blind, queer, and chronically ill users. Sex workers. International creators. A data-driven look:chadtopaz.comValued, then erased — Chad M. TopazWho Kickstarter's May 2026 mature-content rules quietly forbid, drawn from a decade of Kickstarter project listings. 3226179
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 11/05/2026Hey queers and our allies, you know how we've all been EXTREMELY BUSY for the past year ostentatiously not-shopping at Target? Please keep it up. 46716
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 10/05/2026Goddess help me, I'm diving into the AI-in-math convo. Tim Gowers says ChatGPT 5.5 Pro did "PhD-level" math in an hour with no input from him. Terence Tao tells Nature the job description is changing. I wrote up what I think, including what could be lost: people, training, equity... #MathSkychadtopaz.comCheap production, scarce judgment — Chad M. TopazA response to Tim Gowers on ChatGPT 5.5 Pro and AI in mathematics. On case selection, the jagged frontier, workflow, equity, pedagogy, and institutional governance. 44914
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 08/05/2026Obviously. It's only legal when Republicans do it. 26423
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 08/05/2026If an op-ed is trying to come off as data driven, it really helps when the data says what the author claims it says. Annotated edition of an NYT op-ed that defends school phone bans, but with the actual findings from every paper cited. chadtopaz.com/rebuttals/os... #AcademicSky #EconSkychadtopaz.comAnnotated Edition: Oster on Phone Bans (2026)Critical analysis of Emily Oster's NYT op-ed on school phone bans. Annotated by Chad M. Topaz. 53310
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 07/05/2026I am completely gobsmacked and honestly kind of emotional to hold a physical copy of my book in my hand for the first time. Just now. Available June 2 but you can preorder: www.amazon.com/Unlocking-Ju... 3363
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 26/04/2026News: I am very honored and extremely delighted to be giving the Dr Mandawuy Yunupingu Lecture at the 2026 meeting of the Australian Mathematical Society this December. This lecture is dedicated to celebrating Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in math. 😍 Hope to see you in Perth! #MathSkyaustms2026.org.auHome - Australian Mathematical Society Inc. Conference 2026Connecting Minds. Transforming Mathematics. The 70th Annual Meeting of the Australian Mathematical Society, hosted by The University of Western Australia, Perth. About the Conference Welcome to the 70... 1374
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 20/04/2026🧵Here's a story of people doing things RIGHT in academia. Why? Well, I am not shy about critiquing higher ed and associated industries, so I figure it might be useful to share examples of good behavior. This is the story of the best rejection I ever got. It was from McGill University. #AcademicSky 46513
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 16/04/2026@yale.edu released a report on why the public (allegedly) doesn't trust higher education. The @nytimes.com covered it uncritically. So... I'm "pleased" to unveil my next debunking: an interactive annotated doc that points out factual, logical, and rhetorical errors. Enjoy! #AcademicSkychadtopaz.comAnnotated Edition: Yale Trust Report (2026)Critical analysis of the Committee on Trust in Higher Education report. Annotated by Chad M. Topaz. 58636
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 15/04/2026Another professor wrote a campus paper piece arguing that the economics gender gap is mostly biology. This... did not survive close reading. So because I am this way, I made an interactive annotated edition cataloging the factual, logical, and rhetorical errors. Wheee... Enjoy! #EconSky #AcademicSkychadtopaz.comAnnotated Edition: "Why sex-ratios in majors might be more than just bias"Line-by-line notes on factual, logical, and rhetorical errors. Annotated by Chad M. Topaz. 1514149
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 08/04/2026Dear University of Iowa, I am, uh, a lot more qualified than Chris Rufo and would gladly come speak for LESS than $34,000, call me. Also, the actual conceit of my platform will NOT be that you should cease to exist. 0352
Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 07/04/2026Disclosing for first time: I’m thinking of how I resigned from the SBE Committee of Visitors (basically, external review) a year ago because I wanted our report to address Trump’s cuts/directives and NSF leadership’s compliance and I got told no, I was being too political. 🤷🏻♂️😭 33312