@wmstell
Teaching at NYU | scholar of religion, sexuality, disability, and race in the US | author of “Born Again Queer: A History of Evangelical Gay Activism and the Making of Antigay Christianity” (May 12, 2026) | 🏳️🌈🏃🏻♂️🎾
Just turned 35 😊
Just submitted final grades, and that’s a wrap on my second year of teaching at NYU! Truthfully, there is no other place—no other students—I’d rather be teaching.
Some of the texts we practiced reading scripturally in my “What Is a Scripture?” class
Had class outside today 😎
On my way to Worcester, MA, to attend this groundbreaking conference and give a presentation on Deaf queer religious life in the 1970s and 80s. Especially excited for this first lecture!
Wonder how many times my email has told me “It seems you forgot to attach a file.” Many, many times.
Fastest time in a LONG time today!
Beginning a 2-week unit on Mormonism in one of my classes today!
Something awful special about playing with my nephew in my childhood home 🥰
Any and every day is a good day to be loving this man.
One of the few sentences that I’ve drafted for “The Moses of the Gay Liberation Movement” is the first line of the preface: “I first learned about Rev. Troy Perry because I told a lie.”
MY PHONE JUST AUTOCORRECTED “UNTENURED” TO “INDENTURED” ☠️
Lovely email today from a former student (one of my best) who said that “your teaching and one-on-one support inspired and solidified my commitment to Jewish American studies.” Very excited to see where this student goes.
Hmmm these AAR CFPs are just not inspiring me like they usually do…
Recurring conversation while watching the Super Bowl last night…
Husband: I don’t understand what just happened.
Me: Do you want me to explain it to you?
Husband: No.
I hate hate hate waking up in the middle of the night to thoughts of our president’s attacks on humans and on our government’s institutions.
I did it, I got back in the pool
Today, I feel like I have the best job in the world.
Trump is calling for ethnic cleansing—“clean out that whole thing” was his phrase!—but the NYT manages to make him sound like a humanitarian.
Bringing legos to one of my classes tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Some of the books we’ll be reading in my two courses this semester: “‘Cults’ and Religious Panics” and “What Is a Scripture?”
i don’t understand how, psychologically, a person gets to a place where they interpret sign language as some kind of attack or imposition on their life. like, what the fuck is wrong with you?
It’s gonna be a WILD semester…
I won’t teach it again til next fall…but I’m planning a repeat 😊
The room was packed for our session on “Finding the Mainstream within the Margins.” Never given a conference presentation in a room like this before!
Today I get to give a presentation titled “On Teaching Anita Bryant and Getting Pied in the Face,” and I’m convinced it’s downhill from here.
My last week in two photos ❤️
Final grades submitted, another semester in the books!
I LOVE MY JOB.