Timothy Patrick McCarthy

Timothy Patrick McCarthy is a Lecturer on Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and Faculty Chair of the Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). He teaches in the Equity and Opportunity Foundations Curriculum at HGSE and the HKS course on LGBTQ matters, having been the school’s first openly gay faculty member since 1998. His work bridges American history, human rights, and social justice, with a focus on LGBTQ+ studies, public policy, and education.

McCarthy’s research interests include:

• American history, particularly abolitionism and radical movements
• Human rights and LGBTQ+ advocacy
• Social justice and policy reform
• Education equity and community-based learning

His publications and commentaries span topics from church arsons and the AIDS crisis to LGBTQ+ rights and Zinn’s historiography. Awards include the 2015 National Humanities Medal, 2019 Manuel C. Carballo Award, and 2023 Evelynn M. Hammonds Award. He has directed Harvard’s Alternative Spring Break Church Rebuilding Program and served as a media commentator for outlets like The Nation, NPR, and Al Jazeera.