Timothy Babulski, PhD
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tokenintellect.bsky.social
Timothy Babulski, PhD
@tokenintellect.bsky.social
660 followers 500 following 1.3K posts
Artist, Art Educator, Teacher Educator, Author of "What Art Teaches Us"

Help fund new hearing aids for lifelong hearing loss:
https://gofund.me/6831f683a

"L’intérêt des enfants l’exige. L’intérêt de la société l’exige aussi."
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tokenintellect.bsky.social
Timothy Babulski, PhD @tokenintellect.bsky.social · Aug 5
I have apparently reached 7% of my goal.

My parents both passed before I got my first hearing aids but at least I have recordings of my dad. I've no living memory of my mother's true voice.

Hearing aids have been absolutely transformative—I want to banish the silence.

#GoFundMe #disability
Donate to New Hearing Aids for Timothy’s Lifelong Hearing Loss, organized by Timothy Babulski
I am Timothy Babulski, an artist, author and art educator. … Timothy Babulski needs your support for New Hearing Aids for Timothy’s Lifelong Hearing Loss
gofund.me
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
juliaserano.bsky.social
...one more, since I've seen ppl talking about it today: Dems who are getting hit by anti-trans attack ads can simply make the issue about Elon Musk, who is despised by many voters for all the reasons I link to. it's depressing they'd rather attack us. juliaserano.medium.com/on-democrats...
screenshot from linked-to essay that reads: Democrats can choose from any of those options and more, tailoring them to best fit their campaigns and constituencies. On top of that, those running in this year’s midterms have been gifted perhaps the best retort ever: Elon Musk (via his America PAC) is spending about $100 million dollars across multiple midterm races, almost all of it on anti-trans attack ads. This creates a perfect opportunity for Democrats to tie their GOP opponents’ anti-trans ads to Musk — the Nazi saluting, DOGE perpetrating, data center pushing, CSAM enabling, Epstein-adjacent, virulent racist, who (not coincidentally) happens to be the vengeful father of a trans child (who he insists is “dead” to him). Musk is the world’s richest man and he is literally trying to buy out-of-state elections! If you are a Democratic politician who doesn’t know how to take advantage of this, I honestly don’t know what to tell you.
September 16, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
juliaserano.bsky.social
...no matter what happens this election, trans-exclusionary Dems will use it to keep trying to purge trans ppl, unless other cis Dems push back & let them know this is unacceptable! CALL THEM DIVISIVE, AS THEY ARE TRYING TO SHRINK THE ANTI-MAGA COALITION juliaserano.medium.com/on-democrats...
screenshot from linked-to essay that reads: In my opinion, this is the very worst part of all this: If Talarico, Turek, et al. lose their elections, cis Democratic pundits and consultants will inevitably blame the loss on trans people (just as they did with Harris’s election) no matter how we vote, and they will use it as an excuse to throw us under the bus during the next round of elections. Alternatively, if Talarico, Turek, et al. win their elections, these same dipshit cis Democratic pundits and consultants will use those wins as supposed evidence that “moderating on trans issues” (read: rescinding trans rights) is a politically sound strategy. Like I said, Democrats have a cisgender problem. And we’re going to go through cycle after cycle after cycle of this until either 1) Republicans stop demonizing trans people (which I don’t see happening any time soon), 2) cis Democrats purge transphobic and trans-exclusionary candidates from their ranks (my preferred option and also best for the party in the long run), or 3) cis Democrats allow transphobic and trans-exclusionary politicians and pundits to flourish and purge trans people from the party (in which case, I hope you enjoy your smaller coalition).
September 16, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
juliaserano.bsky.social
...also flabbergasted than many cis ppl can't see how contradictory Assumptions #7 & 8 are. didn't get into it in the piece, but the absolute glee with which some ppl say #8 ("well, enjoy the camps Republicans are going to put trans ppl in") is bone chilling... juliaserano.medium.com/on-democrats...
screenshot from linked-to essay that reads: Assumption #7: Trans people are selfish and only thinking of themselves Assumption #8: Trans people will be way worse off if the Republican wins I am grouping these together because they are both common responses, sometimes espoused by the same person, even though they are inherently contradictory. The former tacitly recognizes that protesting the Democratic candidate in question is in trans people’s best interest, while the latter suggests that it’s not in our best interest. So which is it? It can’t be both! While contradictory, Assumptions #7 and 8 can both be used toward the same end goal, namely, dismissing trans people’s perspectives. They are both “polite” ways of telling trans people to “shut the fuck up.”
September 16, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
juliaserano.bsky.social
...Assumption #5: If Dems lose the Senate, it will be trans people’s fault – actually, if Dems' decision to go anti-trans hurts them, it's THEIR FAULT FOR BAD STRATEGY! but ppl *love* to blame the minority: it's the "asking for it"/"activists gone to far" trope juliaserano.medium.com/on-democrats...
screenshot from linked-to essay that reads: Assumption #5: If Democrats lose the Senate, it will be trans people’s fault I’ve seen numerous cis people online explicitly saying this over the last few days, even though it’s inane and completely misplaced for all the reasons that I just laid out in Assumption #4. But if it strikes a familiar chord, that’s probably because many cis politicians and pundits tried to blame trans people for Kamala Harris’s 2024 election loss, even though 1) trans people were not running her campaign! and 2) she lost for reasons that had nothing to do with the anti-trans attack ads that targeted her (discussed in more depth here). So why are so many cis people determined to blame trans people for political outcomes that we did not cause? Well, that could be an entire essay unto itself. In fact, I’m in the process of writing an academic paper (that will hopefully be published next year) on the “asking for it” trope: the unconscious tendency to blame marginalized/minority groups for things that the dominant/majority group has actively done to them. If you want a sneak-peak into my thinking, I’ve previously expressed some of these ideas in my Prejudice and the Unmarked/Marked Mindset essay and video (especially during the “activists gone too far trope” section, about 17 minutes in).
September 16, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
juliaserano.bsky.social
...Assumption #4 has been driving me batshit, yet no one seems to realize it: if you're worried trans ppl might potentially harm your Dem candidate's chances, then YOUR CANDIDATE MADE A BAD DECISION! so why not join us in trying to get them to reverse position? juliaserano.medium.com/on-democrats...
screenshot from linked-to essay that reads: Assumption #4: The elephant in the room that no one is talking about There is a striking disconnect between Talarico, Turek, et al. — who have clearly made a political calculation that abandoning trans rights will help them more than it will hurt them in this election — and the many cisgender liberals I’ve encountered online who are absolutely freaking out over the possibility that trans people’s critiques and protests will ultimately tank said candidates. Both of these things cannot simultaneously be true! If you think your favorite candidate enacted the correct political strategy, then there is no reason to berate trans people for protesting it, as those protests should already be baked into your candidate’s calculations. So why are you berating trans people then? (Unless, of course, you enjoy berating trans people just for the sake of it.) Alternatively, if you think trans people *are* capable of tanking your favorite candidate via our criticisms and protests, doesn’t that imply that your candidate (and their consultants and strategists) totally fucked up in their political calculations here? And if they did fuck up, shouldn’t you be reaching out and complaining to *them* (rather than berating trans people), in the hope that they might reverse their bad decision?
September 16, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
juliaserano.bsky.social
...resuming 🧵 Assumption #3: Red state Dems have to cater to their conservative constituencies. not in for this issue. if there was evidence that Dem candidates could gain 3–5% if they dumped trans rights, NYTimes, Matt Y, etc would write about it non-stop!... juliaserano.medium.com/on-democrats...
screenshot from linked-to essay that reads: Assumption #3: Red state Democratic politicians have to cater to their more conservative constituencies As I alluded to earlier, Andy Beshear is the twice-elected Democratic Governor of Kentucky. If he can unflinchingly stand up for his trans constituents, so can your favorite candidate. I am aware that some political sentiments vary greatly across states (e.g., gun rights). And of course, red states typically have more anti-trans/LGBTQ+ voters than blue states, but that’s largely because they have disproportionately more white evangelicals. Those white evangelicals (and other religious-right voters) are never going to switch parties no matter how many anti-trans positions a Democratic candidate takes. And (as previously discussed), independent and swing voters tend not to be interested in transgender issues at all, so there are no new voters to pick up by embracing anti-trans positions, even in red states (once again, see my Boston Review essay). If you showed me a poll with verifiable evidence that your favorite Democratic candidate would gain an additional 3 to 5 percent of the electorate if they reversed positions on trans rights, I would hate that news, but at least I would understand the strategy. But there are no such polls! None! If such polls existed, The New York Times, Matthew Yglesias, and countless other “popularist” pundits would be writing about them non-stop. But they got nothing. All they have are “vibes” that Democrats will likely be better off without trans people supposedly “weighing them down.” (I’ll let readers decide for themselves where those “vibes” are coming from.)
September 16, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
juliaserano.bsky.social
...Assumption #2 is "Trans people are a brand-new minority group, so you just need to be patient until the rest of society is finally ready to accept you." even though this is completely untrue, many cis ppl sadly seem to believe it... juliaserano.medium.com/on-democrats...
screenshot from the linked-to essay that reads: I’ve been involved in trans communities since the early 1990s, and during that entire time trans people have acted locally — in their schools, workplaces, and communities — to increase awareness and challenge discriminatory practices. The International Olympic Committee began allowing trans athletes to compete way back in 2004, and gender-affirming care for trans youth is now almost three decades old. These are not by any means “novel” or “radical” developments. When I transitioned 25 years ago, trans people were able to get our documents changed to reflect our current lived sex in most jurisdictions. But since 2025, the Trump administration and several red states have reversed those policies. In other words, trans people are not asking for new rights, we are losing rights that we’ve had for decades! So whenever a Democrat comes out in favor of trans sports bans or restrictions on trans healthcare, those are not neutral positions, they are actively participating in the rolling back of trans rights that have long existed!
September 15, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
juliaserano.bsky.social
...Assumption #1 is that trans ppl are "overreacting" to Talarico, Turek, et al.'s recently announced anti-trans positions... juliaserano.medium.com/on-democrats...
screenshot from linked-to essay that reads: Assumption #1: These politicians’ positions are not that big of a deal, trans people are merely overreacting This assumption is especially common regarding sports. But as I discuss in my Trans People and Sports essay, the language and rationale behind trans sports bans (e.g., that trans girls women are “biological males”) is the exact same language and framing that red states and the Trump administration have used to deny trans people driver’s licenses and passports, gender-affirming care, access to restrooms, jobs in the military, and so forth. This is why sports are not a compromise position! If you doubt this, can I ask you, have you ever once heard a Democratic politician say, “I’m opposed to trans people playing sports, but I will fight for their rights on every other issue”? No, you haven’t! Nobody ever says that. Because once they cave on trans sports, it’s a sign that they are willing to backpedal on other trans rights if it is politically expedient for them (as we’ve just seen with Talarico and Turek embracing restrictions on both trans athletes and trans healthcare).
September 15, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
juliaserano.bsky.social
NEW ESSAY on last week's deluge of Dems embracing anti-trans positions. let's stop fixating on trans ppl & instead recognize that Dems have a cisgender problem. pls share!
Medium (friend link): juliaserano.medium.com/on-democrats...
& Substack (no paywall): juliaserano.substack.com/p/on-democra...
On Democrats Who Cave in Response to Anti-Trans Attack Ads
and more importantly: a response to all the cis people responding to the way that trans people are responding to said Democrats’ responses
juliaserano.medium.com
September 15, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
pizzacakecomic.bsky.social
September 16, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
cheryllynneaton.bsky.social
Colin is also an errand boy! That was his entire pivot with Lumi! He is the black public face of AI!
September 16, 2026 at 11:08 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
marisakabas.bsky.social
New — I wrote about this weird thing where people within the Republican party keep being exposed as Nazis and the party then tries to claim each one is an aberration. The facts, as I lay out here, indicate otherwise:
Republicans don’t have a Nazi problem—they are the Nazi problem
A spate of recent revelations have shown the ideologies and their adherents are one and the same.
www.thehandbasket.co
September 16, 2026 at 11:26 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
leena.reuben.games
I imagine this psychiatrist wouldn't be thrilled if we all insisted we record our sessions for our own records: law.unimelb.edu.au/__data/asset...

How is using an AI scribe not analogous to sending the info to a third party? Why is the doctor furnished with more protections here than the patient?
Playing or sending a recording to someone else When you ask a health professional for their permission to play or send a recording to someone else, they might say no. [highlight] Doing so without their permission is usually against the law unless an exception applies.[end highlight]
May 19, 2026 at 2:45 AM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
ketanjoshi.co
I don't think there's a better illustration of the incredible danger of people credulously and irresponsibly over-adopting generative AI than the use of it by DOCTORS to note vital information. This should be as illegal as fabricating notes by hand.

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08...
Error by AI scribe during medical appointment leaves patient devastated But that decision would cause her a lot of stress, with the AI scribe making up the serious but false claim that Ms Green was taking illegal drugs. "I was gobsmacked and in tears … it made up that I take [psychedelic] mushrooms. I have never done mushrooms in my life," she said.
September 16, 2026 at 6:19 AM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
debtcollective.bsky.social
The SAVE student debt plan is ending.

This is shameful — and we stand by its unlawful erasure.

The student debt system is a nightmare — and we want to help you navigate it.

Some of our thoughts on next steps.
www.inthered.org/p/stressed-a...
Stressed about the SAVE deadline? We’re here to help!
Resources and information to help you navigate student debt chaos.
www.inthered.org
September 16, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
debtcollective.bsky.social
We need full student debt cancellation. Every single student debt should be cancelled. It's all illegitimate.

And we need Democrats demanding its relief — not trying to normalize its existence by ignoring the suffering of 40M people.

We have a crisis on our hands.
September 16, 2026 at 1:43 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
angryblacklady.blacksky.app
Trans rights is inherently a bodily autonomy issue. Just like abortion rights is. We can't have gender equity or reproductive freedom without trans rights. Full stop.

You can yell at me and make up shit that you claim I've said if it makes you feel better. I don't care. I'm right. And you know it.
September 16, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
lorak.bsky.social
Dr. @timnitgebru.blacksky.app, founder of DAIR, said plenty of laws already apply to AI and claims of existential risks are overblown. “There is no AI exemption in existing statutes. Fraud is still fraud. Discrimination is still discrimination.”
www.cnbc.com/2026/09/15/t...
Trump’s opposition to AI rules undercuts industry's calls for a slowdown
Anthropic and OpenAI have called for mandatory safety checks to be put in place as fears intensify that AI can soon be too powerful to control.
www.cnbc.com
September 15, 2026 at 8:50 PM
tokenintellect.bsky.social
Are you feeling good about this @aft.org
@rweingarten.bsky.social?

$1.2 BILLION to promote tech that abuses children, destroys of critical & creative thought… after 26 years of Gates $ to disestablish public schools & bust teacher unions, you put MICROSOFT in charge of developing AI guardrails. 🤬
nytimes.com The New York Times @nytimes.com · 1d
The Gates Foundation has pledged to spend at least $1 billion over the next two years to expand global access to A.I. and help “narrow gaps between the richest and poorest rather than widening them.”
Gates Foundation Pledges $1 Billion to Combat A.I. Inequality
Bill Gates, the foundation’s chairman, has been vocal about the dangers of artificial intelligence. The donation will be invested in A.I. projects to bridge social inequalities.
nyti.ms
September 16, 2026 at 10:32 AM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
olivia.science
this is just to control them, deskill them, impoverish them more
nytimes.com The New York Times @nytimes.com · 1d
The Gates Foundation has pledged to spend at least $1 billion over the next two years to expand global access to A.I. and help “narrow gaps between the richest and poorest rather than widening them.”
Gates Foundation Pledges $1 Billion to Combat A.I. Inequality
Bill Gates, the foundation’s chairman, has been vocal about the dangers of artificial intelligence. The donation will be invested in A.I. projects to bridge social inequalities.
nyti.ms
September 16, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
debtcollective.bsky.social
This is not a system that is realistic, sustainable or follows basic consumer protection law.

The entire system is disfunctional.

We need a pause on this system.
September 15, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
debtcollective.bsky.social
One of our members kept trying to make a student debt payment—but the servicer, MOHELA, keeps rejecting the payment.

Yes you read that correctly.

They will *not* accept the payment. They literally deny the payments and return the money.

When we called the servicer to ask why...
September 15, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
transiticsnews.com
I’m a Texan trans kid who almost died because of Ken Paxton. The world should know what he’s done.

This was very difficult for me to write, but given what's at stake, I cannot bear to stay silent about what I went through at Paxton's hands.

He must not be rewarded for what he's done to trans kids.
I’m a Texan Trans Kid Who Almost Died Because of Ken Paxton. The World Should Know What He’s Done.
Regardless of Talarico’s recent statements on trans people, Paxton cannot be rewarded for the extreme suffering he’s inflicted on me and tens of thousands of Texan trans kids.
www.transiticsnews.com
September 10, 2026 at 9:15 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
jbf1755.bsky.social
“Seeks to tilt.”

Right.

Try: “Tries to steal”

Just state the truth, folks.
September 15, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Timothy Babulski, PhD
mskellymhayes.bsky.social
Google is killing journalism: "At Truthout, we anticipate a loss of roughly $500,000 in online revenue as a result of this massive traffic plunge in the next year alone."
We’re Already Living Through Journalism’s Dystopian Future
AI is devouring our industry and undermining access to factual information. We all have a duty to fight back.
truthout.org
September 15, 2026 at 10:13 PM