Adam Rhodes
journalist, data nerd, dog dad
(any pronouns!)
About Me
I am an investigative journalist and I devote my work to uncovering corruption and wrongdoing in our nation's criminal legal systems.
My reporting has shined a light on struggles to access HIV treatment, numerous homophobic murder trials, and this country's history of criminalizing queerness.
Over the course of my career, I have investigated a racist, homophobic law that criminalized HIV in Illinois; controversial surgeries on intersex minors; multiple anti-gay murder trials; access to HIV treatment in Puerto Rico; and, largely, how queer and trans people interact with the criminal legal system in the U.S.
My Expertise
Public Records
FOIA, open data portals, you name it! I am a seasoned public records hound.
Long form Writing
I pride myself on telling dynamic, complicated stories with care and nuance.
Data
Analysis
I'm skilled using data (public or otherwise) to add crucial context and depth to my work.
Social justice Journalism
I specialize in work that focuses on how systems impact our most vulnerable.
My Writing Samples
- Chicago Reader: Activists say Illinois’s law that makes it illegal to expose others to HIV is racist and homophobic. Now they’re close to changing it.
- Chicago Reader: Bernina Mata’s attorneys say prosecutors used homophobic rhetoric to secure a death sentence in 1999. Now they’re asking the governor to set her free.
- The Appeal: Some states have banned a controversial homophobic legal defense, but other efforts, including at the federal level, are facing challenges.
- BuzzFeed News: With the coronavirus spreading and natural disasters intensifying, HIV-positive Puerto Ricans are having to decide to flee — or stay and fight for their lives.
- The Nation: A wave of labor organizing at queer instituions in Chicago comes amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and violence across the country, and as a staunch union ally, Mayor Brandon Johnson, starts his first term in office.
Let's Work Together
