When Caraballo was fifteen years old, her father became permanently disabled after losing an arm in a workplace accident. She said her family's struggles with the worker's compensation system, and the help from attorneys in resolving them "demonstrated to me the power that the law can have".[1]
In 2021, she joined the Cyberlaw Clinic at the Harvard Law School as a clinical instructor. She and another instructor who began teaching the same month were the first trans women of color to teach at the law school.[1]The New York Times described Caraballo as an expert on transgender issues;[2] she has spent years monitoring anti-LGBT rhetoric online.[3][4][5]
Caraballo has been outspoken about what she sees as anti-LGBT legislation and policies; rhetoric from prominent individuals; and inadequate social media moderation surrounding the topic.[2][4][14][15] In March 2022, she criticized the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, also nicknamed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by its opponents, which was introduced in January 2022 and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis the following March. Caraballo described the bill as "an unprecedented attack on LGBT rights", predicting it would likely lead to a serious reversal in policies protecting LGBT rights in schools.[8][16] Later that year, Caraballo was critical of Elon Musk's actions after acquiring Twitter, including his decision to reinstate accounts that had been suspended for threats, harassment, or misinformation.[17]
Social media activity
In a tweet published on December 29, 2022, Caraballo suggested that the arrest of American-British social media personality Andrew Tate in Romania on human trafficking charges was facilitated by a video he posted online revealing his location by showing the name of a Romanian pizzeria.[18][19] Caraballo's tweet quickly went viral and led to the proliferation of the rumor online. A spokesperson for Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism said the rumor was "funny" but untrue.[20][19] Caraballo later acknowledged what she described as "fair criticism" that she had jumped to conclusions, but publicly defended her rationale for making the claim.[18][21]
^ abFreyer, Felice J.; Lazar, Kay (August 17, 2022). "Right-wing groups hit Boston Children's with barrage of threats over trans health program". The Boston Globe. ProQuest2702819036.