Aaron Waggoner, PhD

Fascism is bad for queer #men people and our health, and we risk sliding backwards in the fight against #HIV/AIDS, drug #addiction, and deaths of despair. #publichealth #MSM #gay #policy

Unmet Health Needs Among Men who Have Sex With Men in an Era of Rising Authoritarianism: An Increasing Concern for Public Health - J. Aaron Waggoner, Isabel Latz, 2026 Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to experience severe health disparities despite advancements in biomedical prevention strategies such as pre-exposure p...

I'm proud to announce that the brilliant Isabel K Latz and I have published "Unmet Health Needs Among Men who Have Sex With Men in an Era of Rising Authoritarianism: An Increasing Concern for Public Health" in *Health Promotion Practice.*
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

It’s been 29 days since 100% of the Epstein files were supposed to be fully released. Thus far less than 1% of heavily redacted and unexplained files have been released.

YouTube video by I've Had It IHIP Next: Trump RAMPS UP Fascism as He Grows WEAK; Expert Breaks Down Why HE WILL FAIL!

This is a fantastic and surprisingly optimistic take on American #fascism and the global system with historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat. Thanks @ivehaditpodcast.bsky.social & @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
youtu.be/ASgJmFx8utg?...

I watched the video, and then I watched the DHS ghoul lie about it. The U.S. gestapo just executed a fleeing protester in the street. The right to protest is sacred. Shooting people fleeing is murder.

3) As I credential for clinical work: evidence-based, embodied practices matter—especially breathing. The body holds #trauma, and it can learn regulation and recovery. #yoga #therapy #breathing #healing

2) These are hard times, but more people of goodwill than I realized. Resistance is a marathon. The work can’t just be reaction; it has to be construction: what we’re building, protecting, growing... #democracy, #opportunity, intellectual and personal #growth, #ethics, #inclusion.

1) #AI in class isn’t “yes/no.” Students either avoid it or over-rely. In 2026: clearer norms, more “show your work,” more writing/thinking in front of me, more discussion—and using tools for polish without outsourcing the brain. #AIintheclassroom #research #teaching

What have you learned in #2025 —and how will you use it in #2026?

people thought Judith Butler was exaggerating before but she's been proven right, i think

Howdy yall! I need to do a short interview with someone from a different cultural background than my own (White ex-evangelical from East TN). Any takers? #culture #religion #socialwork

No Kings As the president escalates his authoritarian power grab, the NO KINGS non-violent movement continues to rise stronger. We are united once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power ...

Erasing pride: www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/tex...

Torturing queer youth:
www.salon.com/2025/10/08/s...

Silencing academic freedom:
Texas L.G.B.T.Q. Teenagers and Families Navigate a Public School Clampdown - The New York Times share.google/YhcQpvRiErUg...

Friends, I hope you are paying attention... this authoritarian regime is moving to closet #lgbtq folks and strip us of our rights. Join the peaceful resistance on Oct. 18. #nokings

No Kings www.nokings.org

Migrant deported to El Salvador after DPS labeled him a member of Tren de Aragua without evidence, lawyer says Lawyers for Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo deny he is a gang member and say the DPS accusation hinges on a photo they found of him standing next to a man with tattoos.

28-year-old Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo, who has no known criminal record, was accused by Texas police of being in a Venezuelan gang because they found a photo of him posing with another man with tattoos, his lawyers say.

From ProPublica partner @texastribune.org:

the destruction of chattel slavery is one of the great accomplishments in our nation's history and the reason conservatives hate celebrating it is because doing so legitimizes the black counter-narrative of the united states

Sen. Padilla pushed to ground, handcuffed for demanding DHS not lie Forcibly removing a sitting US senator, as they opposed the president's immigration policy, is a part of a broader slide.

A DHS spokesperson defended the detainment, accusing Sen. Padilla of failing to properly identify himself during Sec. Kristi Noem's press conference.

But multiple videos show Padilla clearly identifying himself as a senator.

Now #deport and scare hardworking #immigrants, end pipelines to #education and #socialmobility, and force women to give birth (due to restrictions on birth control and #abortion)... and voila! We have newly oppressed domestic servant class of the hopeless and uneducated.

#GOP math:
Increase prices (due to #tarrifs and disruption) + end subsidized health insurance (like #medicaid) + end #studentloan relief = desperate and screwed over working and middle classes

Working in the sweet potatoes in the San Joaquin Valley in summer months is hard. Workers walk miles across the fields bent over as they weed the plants. As temps get hotter, they start in pre-dawn, as it's too hot to work 8 hrs under a searing sun in an open field. #WeFeedYou

I want them to have a world of #optimism, where fundamental human #dignity and rights are paramount and each person has the opportunity to reach their potential. We can create that world, but surrendering to #fear and #ignorance won't get us there.

As we celebrate our graduates, I can't help but fear we are throwing them to the wolves... #oligarchy; low wages; limited #rights and #opportunities; poisonous air, water, and soil; and constant #hustle to just survive.

Opinion | We Study Fascism at Yale. We’re Leaving the U.S. The decision by these three Yale professors to move to Canada is both a warning and a call to action.

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com

Three Yale professors who have written extensively on authoritarianism are leaving the U.S. “We’re like people on the Titanic saying our ship can’t sink,” Marci Shore said. “And what you know as a historian is that there is no such thing as a ship that can’t sink.”

Registration is now open for The Gay Agenda: A [free] sexy summer course in pleasure, power, politics, and possibility
Thursdays, 6:30-7:30 pm MT @ Zoom June 5th - July 24, 2025

bit.ly/TheGayAgenda...

#gay #nerdlife #sex #power #liberation #history #gender #summervibes #summerreading

they want us poor, sick and desperate

"If you can purchase US citizenship for $5 million, the “illegals” are only guilty of being poor." -Feminist News

Texas Senate passes bill creating $1 billion school voucher-like program After seven hours of debate over Senate Bill 2 on the Senate floor Wednesday, the chamber suspended rules so lawmakers could expedite the process and send it to the Texas House for consideration.

#Texas Senate passed #voucher bill, now to the House. It will:
-increase costs;
-under-fund #publicschools;
-subsidize the wealthy;
-deepen segregation;
-hurt #SPED kids; &
-fund anti-science, anti-intellectual #theocratic schools.
Call Reps, demand they vote no on #SB2.
www.kut.org/politics/202...

A few years ago, the state of Texas imposed a performance-based test for school leaders, the ETS PASL. It's a real bear. Frankly, I'm not sure how folks are completing it successfully. I'm grateful for the support of some UTEP colleagues, but your prayers, incense, and animal sacrifices are welcome.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. | GLAAD —Repeatedly promoted the falsehood that HIV is not the cause of AIDS, instead attributing the condition to other factors such as recreational drug use, particularly amyl nitrite ("poppers"), and lifes...

RFK is not a friend of the #LGBTQ community. He has promoted #AIDS denialism, fringe ideas about the cause of gender and sexual diversity, and misinformation and fear around #trans issues. I am truly worried about a defunding of HIV treatment and #PreP. #publichealth
glaad.org/gap/robert-f...

The State of the American Middle Class As the financial divide has grown, a smaller share of Americans now live in middle-class households. Here are key facts about this group.

Some #democrats blame #trans people, #wokeness for election losses, buying into the right's smoke & mirrors. It's distraction from the #material conditions impacting working people. Let's not blame vulnerable trans & #queer youth for #neoliberalism & #reganomics. www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...

Aaron in yoga pose "tree"

While there's always new postures to learn, breathing to practice, body control to improve, and brain squirrels to tame, I'm proud of the progress in my practice and its positive impacts on my life.
#yoga #Vrikshasana #elpaso #rocket #yogi #ashtangawannabe