The Backbone

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Seen But Not Heard: The Cost of Trans Hypervisibility

Mar 28, 2026

Seen But Not Heard: The Cost of Trans Hypervisibility

In The Backbone's first ever guest story, Baxstar Jonmarie Ferguson reports on how media visibility is weaponized against trans people, personally and politically.

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This Baltimore Cover Artist is Using Yiddish Music to Fight Fascism

Mar 21, 2026

This Baltimore Cover Artist is Using Yiddish Music to Fight Fascism

From cancer treatment research at Johns Hopkins to hitting the streets in a fishing hat, Ira Remsen’s Ghost is anything but predictable.

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Amazon Wishlists Won't Safeguard Addresses Anymore; Sex Workers are Paying the Price

Feb 28, 2026

Amazon Wishlists Won't Safeguard Addresses Anymore; Sex Workers are Paying the Price

A recent Amazon change has left sex workers with "fewer options, more precarity, and greater exposure to harm," according to an advocacy group for sex workers.

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The Epstein Files' Blueprint for Laundering the Reputation of Abusers

Feb 21, 2026

The Epstein Files' Blueprint for Laundering the Reputation of Abusers

Have you ever noticed that the world's worst men all sound exactly the same?

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What The Baltimore Banner Missed About Nick Shirley’s Baltimore Visit

Feb 4, 2026

What The Baltimore Banner Missed About Nick Shirley’s Baltimore Visit

Introducing Media Autopsy: the series where I dissect a news story and look at how it works.

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Thousands Gather at Baltimore ICE Field Office to Demand Abolition

Jan 31, 2026

Thousands Gather at Baltimore ICE Field Office to Demand Abolition

The people of Minnesota put out a call. Baltimore answered.

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