This is why “just doing science” doesn’t cut it. Research ethics require you to plan for how your work may be weaponized, and act to stop it, esp with public facing work.
Political science LGBTQ politics Assoc Prof @American University Distinguished Visiting Scholar @Williams Institute Associate Editor @PRQ Affiliated Scholar @PRRI.org https://www.american.edu/spa/faculty/aflores.cfm https://aflor017.github.io
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This is why “just doing science” doesn’t cut it. Research ethics require you to plan for how your work may be weaponized, and act to stop it, esp with public facing work.
As the U.S. celebrates Labor Day, what do voters think about the working poor? In POQ, Benjamin Newman shows that most blame structural problems for poverty among workers – but that race and personal experience shape views too. Read now: doi.org/10.1093/poq/...
JB Pritzker to CBS on Trump deploying troops: "He'd like to stop the elections in 2026 or, frankly, take control of those elections. He'll just claim that there's some problem with an election, and then he's got troops on the ground that can take control if, in fact, he's allowed to do this."
On Labor Day, we'd like to remind you that 8 million workers in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ. Those who are out at work are significantly more likely to face discrimination or harassment on the job. bit.ly/LGBTworkplace
#MorningReads Sex is often used as a proxy for gender (in political surveys here), but this study shows it misses nuance—about a quarter of people don’t fit neatly. A finer measure of gender improves analysis and highlights the need for better survey design. #SOGIData
Join the cybersecurity policy panelists to connect w/ influential leaders, learn what it takes to succeed in this rapidly growing field, + tips on how to position yourself for success post-grad. 🗓️ 9/15 🕑 6:30 - 7:45 PM ET📍Kerwin 301 & Zoom RSVP: american-spa.swoogo.com/futureofcybersecuritypolicy
A Tarrant County resident who has worked as an election judge criticized the county’s move to cut more than 100 polling sites. “You’re not saving money,” she said. “You’re sacrificing democracy to save a buck.” With @fortworthreport.bsky.social @texastribune.org
Federal officers are not wearing masks, but are driving around in cars (at least one was) without license plates, literally from a checkpoint that MPD claimed wasn’t about the occupation but was about safe driving
Raiding retirement savings. Pondering job changes or even marriage. People who buy their own health insurance are strategizing ahead of major price hikes in 2026. Open enrollment starts Nov. 1.
#MorningReads Gender expression, especially the self-reported perception by others, is a promising component of future research. But the assessment of how one’s gendered self is perceived in the world, above and beyond gender and sexual identity, remains a gap. #SOGIData #LGBTQStudies
good
Active shooter at the UGA library
Great paper that captures the main effect of US constitutional institutions: minority veto power. "Most representational failures occur because Congress failed to pass a popular bill, rather than because it passed a bill that the public did not want."
In our research, we found startup packages in political science ranged from zero to more than a hundred thousand dollars. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
BREAKING: Missouri governor orders redrawing of U.S. House map, expanding President Trump's push to tilt more seats toward Republicans in 2026.
BREAKING: Appeals court rejects Trump’s authority to impose sweeping tariffs under IEEPA. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
The final paper from my dissertation is now out in @bjpols.bsky.social! I argue that federal agencies collaborate in the policymaking process in order to induce collective action problems in Congress and to pit oversight committees against each other so that agency policies stick.
First week back to class. Last night in a MA-level research methods class, I said, “remember the 2000 election?” Amateur move! Blinking stares at me. Me: “oh, no! You weren’t even born yet!”
Basically the end of August APSA eJobs check-in #polisky (8/1-8/29) I remove non-ac positions & PhD studentships from the count & try not to miss individual listings with multiple jobs. August 2024: 156 positions (118 open to asst. TT) August 2025: 116 positions (82 open to asst. TT)
BREAKING: Social Security Administration chief data officer and whistle-blower Charles Borges has resigned after bombshell report that SSA put highly-sensitive data at risk. He sent out an email to colleagues moments ago. Here is the text of his email shared with me:
So not only do churches NOT have to pay taxes, they're going to get YOUR tax dollars to boot. This seems like oh, I don't know, government establishing a religion in violation of the First Amendment?
California lawmakers reach an agreement with Uber and Lyft that will open the door for app-based drivers to form unions. This is a victory for organized labor that could lay the groundwork for similar efforts in other states.
The Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston is hiring an associate or full faculty member specializing in American politics, with a concentration in state or local politics. careers.uh.edu/jobs/associa...
"Though data sources are being erased, the transgender population will not be. And yet it will likely be at least a decade before we can publish updated figures on the estimated number of people in the US who identify as transgender." - Jody Herman and @aflor017.github.io for @theconversation.com
Peterson & Jeong find that local media strengthens issue accountability. By reducing uncertainty about legislators’ policy positions, news makes voters more likely to evaluate politicians on issues, not just party lines. #MediaAndPolitics Read more: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
BREAKING: Texas governor signs into law redrawn voting map pushed by Trump that gives GOP five more winnable congressional seats.
Please comment: Some source material to draw from here: donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-death-...
Breaking news: President Trump moved to cancel nearly $5 billion in USAID funding already approved by Congress. The Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee called the move an “attempt to undermine the law.”
Winsome Earle-Sears has described John Reid's homosexuality as an “immoral lifestyle choice.”
Mount Pleasant – “On their third day of classes.” www.popville.com/2025/08/moun...
The flotsam and jetsum that is rounding up the huddled masses. Co-ethnics included (“paging Jim Sidanius’ work) www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
If he thinks a few transgender people out of several thousand murderers is "a common denominator," wait until he hears how many of them were using automatic weapons.
🚔Did George Floyd’s murder change Americans' racial attitudes? ➡️ @amengel.bsky.social & C. D. Kam find attitudes shifted, but unevenly: largest and most lasting for Black Americans and White Democrats, weaker or countervailing for others www.cambridge.org/core/journal... #FirstView
#OpenAccess from @jpublicpolicy.bsky.social - Public demand and LGBTQ+ rights - cup.org/4fXuRJj "I find that positive social constructions are correlated with more inclusive LGBTQ+ rights across countries" - Yeon Soo Park #FirstView
📊 New dataset and paper alert! We’re proud to launch the Opposition Movements and Groups (OMG) Dataset, 1789–2019: a global dataset covering 1,452 mass mobilization movements. It was just published in Comparative Political Studies. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... Below follows a 🧵
Opinion: In a landmark case, licensed counselor Kaley Chiles fights for her right to provide harmful conversion therapies to minors. With the Supreme Court set to rule, will LGBTQ+ youth be protected or left vulnerable?
One of the things the Nazis did when coming to power was push propaganda that Jews were criminals and prone to violence by focusing on crime committed by Jews or fabricating crime they falsely attributed to Jews. The last 36 hours on X has been this on a massive scale against trans people.
WHOOPSIE DOODLE
NEWS: The panel for the Sept 5 oral arguments at the D.C. Circuit over the Trump administration's anti-trans prison policies will be Chief Judge Srinivasan (Obama) and Judges Pillard (Obama) and Randolph (GHWB, senior status). DOJ appealed injunctions issued by Judge Lamberth (Reagan).
![United States Court of Appeals FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT ____________ No. 25-5099 September Term, 2024 1:25-cv-00286-RCL 1:25-cv-00401-RCL 1:25-cv-00653-RCL Filed On: August 28, 2025 [2132510] Jane Doe, et al., Appellees v. Pamela Bondi, in her official capacity as Attorney General of the United States and William K. Marshall, III, in his official capacity as Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Appellants ------------------------------ Consolidated with 25-5101, 25-5108, 25-5210, 25-5213, 25-5215 O R D E R It is ORDERED, on the court's own motion, that the following times are allotted for the oral argument of these cases scheduled for September 5, 2025, at 9:30 A.M.: Appellants - 15 Minutes Appellees - 15 Minutes One counsel per side to argue. The panel considering these cases will consist of Chief Judge Srinivasan, Circuit Judge Pillard, and Senior Circuit Judge Randolph.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:36eqtmzysqf7wsslczw4uxcd/bafkreiecn6p3wz55pqpvqqclcxi35pv7qcaytgjfblboyj3b7iwr7k5mpi@jpeg "Click to view full size")
South Carolina is asking the Supreme Court to allow the state to enforce its policy barring transgender students in state-funded schools from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
And let’s be clear: transgender people are more likely to be victims of violent crime. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Notable to see Obama speaking out more
New article thinking about the interplay between identity and solidarity among people of color. How stable is each orientation in a national sample? How much does each feed into each other over time, if at all? Do things look similar or different across PoC? onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Removing data means we can't accurately estimate our populations, and without data, it is really hard to tell our stories for broad audiences. theconversation.com/weve-been-tr...
We’re excited to introduce the 2025-2026 PRRI Public Fellows cohort! 🎉 Meet 12 public scholars conducting innovative research that explores religion’s intersection with immigration, racial justice, reproductive health and rights, and LGBTQ rights. Learn more here: prri.org/press-releas...
Calling all of our NY friends! You're invited to our Fall Salon on September 17. This year, our esteemed panelists will discuss key LGBTQ rights cases decided by the Supreme Court in 2025 and provide a preview of what’s ahead for 2026. RSVP today at tinyurl.com/NYCFallSalon25
This is the most important thing you'll read today: "Democracy rarely dies in a single moment. It is chipped away via abdication: rationalizations and compromises as those with power and influence tell themselves that yielding just a little ground will keep them safe..."
Fall has moved in early! We’re declaring summer officially over in D.C. — the earliest we’ve ever made the call. Near 80 by day, 50s–60s at night, and no heat waves in sight. 👉 www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025...
The Trump administration is paying her family $5 million and giving her military honors for storming the Capitol. At the same time, the Air Force is kicking transgender people out and taking away their approved retirements. www.advocate.com/news/air-for...
Seems like the kind of thing federal agents could handle if they weren’t busy tracking down America’s most wanted DoorDash delivery drivers in DC.
Come work across campus from me. CU Boulder is looking for a new Director for it's Prevention Science Program within the Institute of Behavioral Science. Tenured faculty position. Details below. jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...
New, from me: America is no longer a functioning democracy. It is a competitive authoritarian system, hurtling rapidly toward authoritarianism. This was a hard piece to write but we can't move forward if we don’t acknowledge where we are. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
MPD detaining a mother and kid on the school bus at 15th and R NW in DC this morning
"We often think of discrimination as a discrete event that happens on a certain day. For those who are misgendered in the workplace, the experience can become an almost daily challenge." - Brad Sears, speaking with @usatoday.com tinyurl.com/uyn2f7pn
I don’t even have a Tik Tok - the important lesson though is that science communication requires using the tools where people get their info. Maybe there’s a way to develop a political communications course that can film Profs and their informed opinions on pressing topics. 🤔
🚨Border Patrol arrested two firefighters who were actively fighting a wildfire at the time. When the other members of the crew asked for a chance to say goodbye, a Border Patrol agent told the crew member “you need to get the f*ck out of here. I’m going to make you leave.”
DAILY MEMO: Border Patrol Celebrates 5,000th Abduction With a Message, “This is Just the Beginning” ~ @eltragon.bsky.social
Out now in The Conversation explaining our recent work on population estimates of people who identify as transgender in the US theconversation.com/weve-been-tr...
Right-wing parties benefit from economic crises—currency crashes, debt crises, inflation crises, or banking crises. And if the incumbent party is right wing, further right parties benefit. Downstream effects also include conservative shifts in public opinion. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
These affluent gay men wield their power for the Republican Party and not the queer community.
Our city's children shouldn't have to make their way past masked gunmen (or perhaps law enforcement officers, with the masks it's impossible to tell) to get to their school
Vile.
“I have heard about a whole lot of hate that’s being directed at our trans community,” Mayor Jacob Frey said. “Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community or any other community out there has lost their sense of common humanity.” www.advocate.com/crime/minnes...
Picture brings tears to my eyes, as a fellow mom.
Police in masks makes everyone unsafe
Janet Actually Yelling
"Disappearing people off the street to be thrown in the black hole of a concentration camp network never to be seen again" is a storyline we're used to hearing from the Soviet Union, East Germany, modern-day Russia, China, etc. Not in the United States. A permanent stain on our national honor.
Michigan AG Dana Nessel comes out swinging against University of Michigan for stopping care for trans youth.
#MorningReads Gender & sexual minority PhD students face more devaluation, stress & intent to leave programs—both in & outside STEM—showing systemic barriers in academia. #LGBTQ #STEM #HigherEd.
BREAKING: President Trump extends his control over Washington by taking management of Union Station away from Amtrak.
GRAND JURY NULLIFICATION! Prosecutors Fail to Secure Indictment Against Man Who Threw Sandwich at Federal Agent www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/u...
Park Police in Logan Circle on Horseback Monday and Fed Police in Mount Pleasant this Morning – “just driving to work. They took three workers.” www.popville.com/2025/08/mean...
My afternoon break involved Carmen Sandiego and Wishbone - public media did a lot for us.
Turns out it's not really true that Democrats want to fall in love (with their candidates) while Republicans fall in line. Great post at @misofact.bsky.social by @bcburden.bsky.social using cool data he, et al collected by talking to party convention delegates. misofact.substack.com/p/democrats-...
"The database contains records of all Social Security numbers issued by the federal govt. It includes individuals’ full names, addresses and birth dates, among other details that could be used to steal their identities, making it one of the nation’s most sensitive repositories of personal info"
New @misofact.bsky.social bit from me: party activists both sides of the aisle believe extremism hurts Democrats but helps Republicans misofact.substack.com/p/democrats-...
This man should never have to buy his own drink again
Great @misofact.bsky.social piece by @bcburden.bsky.social, with evidence that Democrats think they win when they moderate, and Republicans think they win when they stick to principles.
Reminds me of: youtu.be/idHQoCUfPZ4?...
This is so true it hurts (I saved this meme in 2022, credits to its creator, I can’t recall who it was).
This is the latest shakeup since Trump took over the cultural center. "We will have an exciting announcement about the new direction for Dance programming soon," said a Kennedy Center spokesperson.
It’s always fun to tell students that political parties had actual parties.
In my personal opinion, the escalation of authoritarianism is not just about the Epstein files. Trump’s health is in decline, so the minions want to consolidate control before they lose their figurehead.
Families of trans youths in California are scrambling after several major providers, including Stanford and Kaiser, have halted or scaled back care under federal pressure.
Amazing to have some data here - I was like “what elected official has said these words”?
"the Third Way memo reads less like an audit of Democrats’ language and more like a list of terms Republicans tell us Democrats are saying"
Welcome to SPA, #Classof2029! We’re so excited to have you join us and can’t wait to see what you will achieve! #SPAProud 🦅❤️💙
This is a great read. And terrible that mutually assured destruction is on the table.
Great reporting by @politico.com on how California redistricting went from bluff to ballot reality. And notably, only after Texas acted first. www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
NEW: Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s defense team says that the government is attempting to coerce him to plead guilty to his criminal charges. Per filing, the government promised to deport him to Costa Rica if he pleads guilty — and is now threatening to remove him to Uganda if he doesn’t accept the deal.
BREAKING: Trump administration says grants for Hispanic-serving colleges are unconstitutional and it won't defend them in court.
Not outside the realm of possibility - Winter’s book convincingly argues that race and gender structure many policy opinions: books.google.com/books?id=lkX...
Jack White is so badass and I love it.
Extraordinary new detail about the FBI purge. *Senior officials were asked to fire lower level officials tagged by online right wingers as being anti-Trump. *When they asked for a reason - required by law - they were not given any. They refused. Then they were fired. www.cbsnews.com/news/politic...
The father of a transgender child said that in nine years of working near a court bathroom, he has gotten zero complaints about people using it.
A half dozen armed goons brutally attacked a man FOR EATING IN PUBLIC?
During a hearing today in Texas on the trans bathroom bill, a man publicly threatened in the hearing room to mutilate trans women and cut off their genitalia.
The White House listed an exhibit on LGBTQ history at the Smithsonian as objectionable and something to be removed.
