Robin's ballot — 2026 primary edition
It's primary season in the United States and mail-in ballots get mailed out across California this week! Being a news junkie and civic engagement wonk, people frequently ask me how I'm voting and why.
Words by Robin
Musings, rough cuts, and misadventures.
Latest posts
My Trans Day of Visibility speech on pathways to power
Pathways to power and bringing our lived experience as marginalized people to bear on the decisions that shape our day to day lives.
More confidently me
Hi, hello. I'm still here, and mercifully beginning to find my way again. I don't want to talk much about the last year. It's been a tough road. Early transition is awkward, and that's been happening against a backdrop of growing terrors,
Trans joy and the search for a new middle name
Choosing a new name has been a fun act of self-definition. And maybe a step closer to no longer getting email for so many other people named Joshua Simmons, too. (One can dream.) I chose Robin as my new first name because it doesn't tell you anything about
40+ sources of news and information for the US in 2025
Staying informed is critical, and a bit challenging these days. A revisionist and censorious US administration, a media and political landscape significantly captured by billionaires, misinformation and disinformation, and a flood of low quality computer generated text ... the deck is stacked against us. But with a little effort, you can
Staying in the US and fighting
I'm blessed with a family that crosses national borders, and the depth of care and concern I've felt from folks given current events has been moving. Naturally, folks have been asking: when will you leave the US? At time of writing, dozens of Executive Orders have
Mask up: echoes of early 2020 as I travel to FOSDEM
Later this week, I'm going to see a lot of people I care deeply about and a lot of people who have the connections and resources to make a huge difference for the Matrix.org Foundation, the nonprofit I lead. For that, I am genuinely excited. Unfortunately, my
Walking away from Facebook
In this blog post, I detail my approach to leaving Facebook and other Meta services, and share my rationale. But I do not aim to persuade, and I don't judge people for making different choices – everyone's circumstances are different. If you're not interested
Hello, my name is Robin Riley
You've known me as Josh, or Joshua Riley Simmons, and there's a lot I don't know yet, but there's no sense in delaying with what I do know: Hi, my name is Robin and I'm trans. I'll be
Maybe in error, but never in silence
Existence and visibility is political. I came out as bisexual the day my fellow Californians voted to make same-sex marriage illegal, and my identity as a person with disabilities and chronic illness came into focus amid the COVID-19 pandemic. So when I see other people being marginalized, I feel compelled
An event organizer's duty of care: from Codes of Conduct to Health and Safety policies
If you’ve been organizing events in tech over the last couple of decades, you’ve seen significant improvement in the way organizers think about inclusion. There was the #CoCPledge movement that made it mainstream for our events to have Codes of Conduct (CoC), and increasingly we see
Stop defining people by what they're not: on "non-code contributors"
I’ve been outspoken about my dislike of the term “non-code contributors” for a while now. I mentioned it again on my socials recently, beginning: “I suggest that if you find yourself about to use the phrase “non-code contributors” or “non-technical contributions,”
Summer's call
I’ve been a bit quiet as I work through personal and professional transitions. In a twist of fate, I was laid off immediately after I felt I had finally found my footing in a new role back in March. More soon, my friends. A haiku for Northern California
Celebrating Scotty
Not a day goes by that I don’t think of my late brother Scott. I find myself with a surge of excitement, with something I can’t wait to share with him. Or reflecting with regret or warm nostalgia as I turn over the memories. Or falling
Fresh coat of paint for this professional
Since my role, as of last November working as Senior Principal Foundations Advocate at Tidelift , is again very public-facing, I’ve been meaning to update my professional bio , resume , and LinkedIn . But I’ve found it harder to find my professional voice without in-person events as a laboratory