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Melissa Gira Grant

Melissa Gira Grant is a staff writer at The New Republic, the author of Playing the Whore: The Work of Sex Work (published by Verso), and the co-director of They Won’t Call It Murder (executive produced by Field of Vision). She was a senior reporter at The Appeal, and a contributing writer at The Village Voice and Pacific Standard.


All Articles
November 21, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
To Lock Up a President
Democrats seem to agree that Trump should be brought to justice. Whether they agree on the precise nature of that justice is an open question.
November 6, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
Fixating on “Cancel Culture” in an Age of Transphobia
Articles about "canceled" or "provocative" writers rarely focus on the people they've harmed.
October 24, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
Liberal Feminism Has a Sex Work Problem
The National Organization for Women opposes decriminalization. Doing so has led it to gaslight sex workers and echo rhetoric from anti-choice groups and the religious right.
October 17, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
Imagining a World Without Prisons
On Thursday, the New York City Council will vote on shutting down the jails on Rikers Island. Should new ones replace them, or is it time to reform criminal justice more broadly?
October 3, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
Not Even the Police Union Could Save Amber Guyger
She has become one of the rare cops to be convicted of murder, despite a system that often works in their favor.
October 2, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
Can We Stop Pretending Prosecutors Are Impartial Now?
Attorney General Bill Barr and ex-prosecutor Rudy Giuliani share the same job: defending the president.
September 26, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
“Clear the Camps!” Is the New “Build the Wall!”
Trump adapts his "immigration crisis" script for homeless Americans.
September 24, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
The Democrats’ Disappointing Rhetoric on LGBTQ Rights
Some candidates seem to believe that their past support for marriage equality is enough to win the community's support.
September 19, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
A Critical Threat to Sex Discrimination Protections
Three Supreme Court cases could redefine workplace rights for gay and trans people—and for everyone else.
September 12, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
Kamala Harris Gets Slightly Less Tough on Crime
The former prosecutor offered her measured version of criminal justice reform in advance of tonight's Democratic debate.
September 10, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
What Christine Blasey Ford Said
"She Said," a chronicle of the #MeToo era by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, reveals the power of women who, together, refused to stay silent.
September 4, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
When the State Enforces “Straight Pride”
Attacks on LGBTQ people are on the rise across the country. In Boston, right-wing extremists got the police to do their dirty work.
August 30, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
New Yorkers Should Thank Police for the Summer “Slowdown”
Arrests and crime are down amid cops’ protest of the firing of officer Daniel Pantaleo, who killed Eric Garner.
August 20, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
Trump’s Title X Restrictions Are Nothing Short of Coercion
The administration's gag rule could force reproductive health clinics to function more like anti-abortion “pregnancy centers.”
August 15, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
Is Cy Vance the Next Invincible New York Democrat to Lose?
The Manhattan District Attorney has had a long run, but his role in recent high-profile cases may bring unexpected change to a very powerful place.
August 12, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
Jeffrey Epstein and the Myth of “Justice” in America
The U.S. criminal legal system protected him for years—and then it failed him, just as it has failed countless people of color who are put behind bars.
August 9, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
No Law Can Ban White Supremacy From the Internet
Gutting Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act will cause more problems than it solves.
August 6, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
Police Killed Her Boyfriend, Then Charged Her With His Murder
"Felony murder" laws across America are being used to charge juveniles with crimes they didn't commit.
June 26, 2019
Melissa Gira Grant
How Tiffany Cabán Would Reshape The Criminal Justice System
As Queens' district attorney, she would work to dismantle the devastating power of her office.
June 25, 2019
MagazineMelissa Gira Grant
White Mom’s Burden
For years, Cindy McCain warned of dangerous men coming to enslave American women and girls. Now Trump is running with it.

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