Dean Spade is the author of Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During this Crisis and the Next, and Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law. Well known for highlighting the ways that mutual aid can be a direct response to societal needs as well as a transformative practice that shifts our reliance away from the state and toward each other, Spade has just published a new book called, Love in a Fucked Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook up, and Raise Hell Together.

Informed by over two decades of experience pushing for trans liberation and racial and economic justice, Spade’s new book discusses the urgency of building sustainable, accountable, and truly abolitionist interpersonal relationships that empower us to resist state violence over the long haul. In a time of increasing despair, he urges us to move beyond symbolic actions and embrace riskier, more meaningful forms of action that require trust, deep solidarity, and real vulnerability. We touch on Spade’s personal journey of radicalization, think about some of the potential of this moment, and unpack some concrete tools for self-reflection and expression.

In addition to Spade’s books, check out the Five Questions for Cultivating Solidarity When Responding to Political Repression, downloadable in English and Spanish here.

Follow Dean Spade:

photo: Radical Graffiti