In-Depth Steven Thrasher Interview: How Racism, Capitalism, Borders & Ableism Create a "Viral Underclass"

In an extended interview, LGBTQ+ scholar and journalist Steven Thrasher lays out his theory of “The Viral Underclass” and shares stories of the people he writes about in his new book.

In an extended interview with LGBTQ+ scholar and journalist Steven Thrasher about his new book, “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide,” he lays out his theory and shares stories of the people he writes about. “A framework of a viral underclass, I hope, will help people to understand why it is that the same kinds of people keep coming into the paths and being affected by very different kinds of viruses,” Thrasher says. He discusses factors that create the conditions for unequal viral transmission, including racism, shame, borders, incarceration, ableism and capitalism.