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Lauren Barton

@laurenbarton.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1.5K following 1.3K posts

Tennessean writer, lover.

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Reposted by Lauren Barton
Ilhan Omar @ilhanmn.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced.
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
oh and i’m lowkey considering law school but if that’s something i pursue it’ll be in the far future
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
life updates: i’m halfway done with my first semester (1/3) as a senior, i’m the brokest i’ve been in my entire life, i’m still just as indecisive as ever, i reapplied to be a TEDx speaker, aaaand i am about to break up with my boyfriend of 6 and a half years
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
it’s girl in red season
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
“heyyy…” i said after three months. “what’s up guysssss…”
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
should i post on LinkedIn and embarrass myself like that or should i just die
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
yeesh! tough crowd
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
if any of my journalist mutuals are going to the nlgja conference this fall dm me and lmk… let’s meet up
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
this video inspired me so much that i had a birthday keychain custom made
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
but i’d want to pay contributors and i have $400 to my name lololol
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
my dream is to launch a non-profit media collective that harbors different newspapers, magazines, podcasts — you name it. think of condé nast but better.
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
i think this is some of the best advice i’ve received in a while and i definitely needed this reminder
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
senator marsha blackburn just held a gubernatorial round table in johnson city, tennessee where she said she thinks tennessee should be no. 1 in “deporting illegal aliens.”
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
today in johnson city, tn
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
the aftermath of reporting on trans people be like
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
“Half of America is made of diversity, you know? You can’t love America and hate half the people in it.” my latest for the johnson city press: johnsoncitypress.com/news/377300/...
johnsoncitypress.com
'I Just Want to Be Happy': Local trans residents navigate life, faith and identity
After many long, hard years for transgender residents in Tennessee, some Johnson City locals are celebrating Pride Month with quiet courage and resilience.
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
honestly all of them are super sweet
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
my coworker is so sweet i love her
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
sad worm
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
my sister thought t4t stood for tea4tea and this is exactly why she’s an ally
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
one thing about me is that i will always try to connect with random people on linkedin regardless of if we have mutual contacts or not
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
i’m so nervous for this interview i’m going to throw up
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Reposted by Lauren Barton
Lex McMenamin (they/them) @lexmcmenamin.com · 28/05/2026
days into a hunger and labor strike of hundreds detained in GEO Group-run Delaney Hall, people inside report beatings, rotten food, crumbling facilities, and denied medical care. protesters and organizers outside are confronting ICE in the Newark street. talked to a few about it: @us.theguardian.com
theguardian.com
‘We won’t stop until they’re free’: protesters outside a New Jersey ICE facility in their own words
Organizers rally outside Delaney Hall, facing violent clashes with agents, as over 300 detainees are on hunger strike
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
i started posting on x again after i said i wouldn’t post there and now i feel like a fake 😔
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
…town. everyone knows everyone. they know my name and my face and could easily show up to the place i work now. BUT that doesn’t discourage me tbh and i will still work on this piece as long as the higher ups let me
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
…brought a whole new level of diversity to this newspaper (from what i can tell anyways). on the other hand, the kkk does, in fact, live in this area and i could potentially be putting myself and others in danger by writing this story. with freelancing, nobody really knows me, but this is a small…
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
for my (relatively) rural, local newspaper i’m working on a feature story about trans pride/resilience for pride month and it’s such a double-edged sword for me. on one hand, trans people deserve to celebrate their identities for pride month and my paper has never done anything like this. i’ve…
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
make it*
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
guys i didn’t expect to make this far
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Reposted by Lauren Barton
Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
SCOOP: The Trump administration is paying millions to quickly cover four enormous bronze horses with extra-thick 23.75 karat gold leaf. The money for the rush job is coming from National Park Service funds. In total, I found ~$100 mil spent on new DC beautification projects.
notus.org
The Trump Administration Is Spending $5 Million to Coat Horse Statues in Gold
The Interior Department quickly gave nearly $100 million in contracts in a rush to beautify D.C.
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
THANKS!! i’m totally nervous
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
update
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
my mom keeps haunting my online presence and it’s very unsettling for me even though technically she already knows everything
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
all of this is so frustrating to me because hello ??? it’s not like it’s hard or controversial to understand why there are critiques of a tiktoker who supports bioessentialist rhetoric and fosters a safe space for terfs in her brand
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
in many ways, trans people are hunted for sport in this political climate. why wouldn’t you want to make it beyond obvious that you support them?
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
more on this paris mwendwa stuff… yes, you need (and should want) to LOUDLY and clearly show your support for trans women. yes, you do need to state that you include trans women in your feminism because some feminists do not — that’s why we have the label of terf.
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
i agree with that and honestly i think it may be working
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
context: she’s a feminist content creator who is currently facing a lot of backlash for not openly including trans women in her posts
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Reposted by Lauren Barton
Eme Flores @emeflores.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
The Paris Mwendwa drama in TikTok is patient zero for this. She’s a feminist TikToker clearly open to soft SWERF/TERF talking points who supports orgs working on the KOSA censorship bill. People noticed she’s weird with trans women in her community. She reacted. Begun, the TERF Wars have.
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
i don’t think she’s a terf but her platform allows terfs to thrive, and that's an issue for me. it's noble of her to assume it was enough to just say "women" and think that trans women are included by default, but she greatly misjudged her audience for thinking they would understand that
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
i know she isn't trans and might not have any trans people in her life, so she probably just wasn't aware of it, but for someone whose entire brand is ultra woke 3000 levels of feminism, i would think she would know better
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
tiktok drama incoming but i used to watch paris mwendwa and i agree with some of her talking points, however the language she uses is VERY exclusionary at times regardless of if she meant for it to be.
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Reposted by Lauren Barton
s. e. smith @sesmith.lol · 22/05/2026
The rural hospital crisis is killing people and rapidly escalating. The Republican cuts to Medicaid are basically going to be the end of hospital services in the rural US.
npr.org
'We'll never know if he could have been saved.' The gaps in Trump's rural health fund
Republicans promise that $50 billion in new health funding will help rural America. But it's not expected to aid the years-long effort in North Carolina's Martin County to reopen its only hospital.
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Reposted by Lauren Barton
Revy but spoopy @catgirlfingies.quest · 22/05/2026
I would like more stories of trans women by trans women thanks
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Reposted by Lauren Barton
Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
We’re going to be seeing a lot more of this sentiment. Do not trust these people.
A screenshot of part of an X post that says “I am a massive, unapologetic AI enthusiast and this is NOT the future I had in mind.”
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Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
despite freelancing for years, none of my stories have ended up in print… except for this one that i wrote on day 2 of being an intern at my local newspaper. out of all the incredible feature stories i’ve worked on, this short weather story makes the cut and i find that really funny
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Reposted by Lauren Barton
Lauren Barton @laurenbarton.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
lowkey everyone is saying it’s kind of intriguing or that it’s funny… maybe i’m actually a mastermind. maybe they’ll hire me and maybe i can say that they would hire me if i was a worm. maybe i am already a worm. who knows?
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