Shain A. Mahaffey Neumeier (born 1987) is an American

autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

and

nonbinary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

attorney from

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Neumeier advocates against coercive and forced treatment, including advocacy to close the

Judge Rotenberg Center The Judge Rotenberg Center (founded in 1971 as the Behavior Research Institute) is an institution in Canton, Massachusetts, United States, for people with developmental disabilities, emotional disorders, and autistic-like behaviors. The center ...

, an institution for people with

developmental disabilities Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

. They are also an activist for

autism rights The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocat ...

, and other associated causes.

Personal life

Neumeier has multiple disabilities including

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

and

cleft lip and palate A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle. A cleft palate occurs when the palate (the roof of the mouth) contains an opening into the nose. The ...

Education and career

Neumeier studied at

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

and

Suffolk University Law School Suffolk University Law School (also known as Suffolk Law School) is the private, non-sectarian law school of Suffolk University located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, across the street from the Boston Common and the Freedom Trail, two block ...

and later worked on

youth rights The youth rights movement (also known as youth liberation) seeks to grant the rights to young people that are traditionally reserved for adults, due to having reached a specific age or sufficient maturity. This is closely akin to the notion ...

policy issues for CAFETY. As an attorney, they are in solo practice in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. Their law practice represents people facing petitions for

involuntary commitment Involuntary commitment, civil commitment, or involuntary hospitalization/hospitalisation is a legal process through which an individual who is deemed by a qualified agent to have symptoms of severe mental disorder is detained in a psychiatric hos ...

Activism and writing

Neumeier advocates against coercive and forced treatment, and has called for the closure of the

(JRC), an institution which uses electric skin shock

aversion therapy Aversion therapy is a form of psychological treatment in which the patient is exposed to a stimulus while simultaneously being subjected to some form of discomfort. This conditioning is intended to cause the patient to associate the stimulus wit ...

on people with

. Neumeier also testified before the

United Nations special rapporteur on torture The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment is a United Nations special rapporteur. The office is currently filled by Alice Jill Edwards, since 1 August 2022 ), previously Nils Mel ...

about the JRC. In ''

Marquis Who's Who Marquis Who's Who ( or ) is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in America'', ''Who's Who of American Wome ...

'' featured Neumeier in their 2021 ''October Maker's List.'' Neumeier's essay ''Back into the Fires that Forged Us'' appeared in the 2018 book ''Resistance and Hope: Essays by Disabled People'' (ISBN 9780463255704). Their essay addressed how disability activism has been criminalized in the United States.

Selected publications

* Shain A M Neumeier & Lydia X Z Brown,
Beyond Diversity and Inclusion: Understanding and Addressing Ableism, Heterosexism, and Transmisia in the Legal Profession: Comment on Blanck, Hyseni, and Altunkol Wise's National Study of the Legal Profession
'' Blanck, P., Hyseni, F., & Wise, F. A. (2021). ''Diversity and inclusion in the american legal profession: Discrimination and bias reported by lawyers with disabilities and lawyers who identify as LGBTQ+''. ''

American Journal of Law and Medicine The ''American Journal of Law & Medicine'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering health law. It was established in 1975 and is published by Sage Publications till December 2020, in association with both Boston University School of ...

, 47''(1), 9-61.

References

External links

Neumeier's personal blogNeumeier's law firm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neumeier, Shain 1987 births American abortion-rights activists American transgender people American non-binary people Autism activists Autism rights movement American disability rights activists LGBT people from Massachusetts American LGBT rights activists Living people Massachusetts lawyers Non-binary activists People from Springfield, Massachusetts People on the autism spectrum People with mood disorders People with post-traumatic stress disorder American LGBT lawyers Transgender non-binary people Transgender rights activists Youth rights people Transgender history in the United States American lawyers with disabilities American activists with disabilities LGBT people with disabilities 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American LGBT people