Araya Baker on Muck Rack

Araya Baker

  • Therapist, Columnist, and Social Policy Researcher, Freelance
Houston
As seen in: Medium, Psychology Today, Teen Vogue, Inside Higher Ed, The Tennessean, The Good Men Project, Shondaland, The Mighty, The Daily Pennsylvanian, Ed Post and
Covers:  Culture & Identity (Class, Disability, Gender/Sexuality, Race, Religion); Global Human Rights; Mental Health/Illness & Suicide; Social Policy (Education, Environmental, Housing, Reproductive, etc.).
Doesn't Cover: Finance, Science, Sports, Travel

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Araya Baker’s Biography

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Araya Baker is a therapist, columnist, and social policy researcher.

As a writer, Araya has spent over a decade promoting lifelong learning and democratizing access to applied critical theory/social philosophy beyond academia. Their social commentary and public scholarship have been featured in EdPost, The Washington Post, HuffPost, Psychology Today, Teen Vogue, Vice, Buzzfeed, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, and myriad indie and regional outlets.

Araya holds an Ed.M. in Human Developmen…

Araya Baker’s Journalist Portfolio

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Parenting LGBTQ+ Kids Can Accelerate Adult Development

Parenting LGBTQ+ Kids Can Accelerate Adult Development

Poet Ocean Vuong healed generations when he reframed queerness as a gift rather than a curse, writing, "Being…

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How the Dependency on Church in Rural America Hurts LGBTQ Youth

How the Dependency on Church in Rural America Hurts LGBTQ Youth

On May 18, the city of Springfield granted $1 million to Bransford Community Center. Twenty " Tennessean" art…

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Springfield's investment in Bransford center disregards vulnerable LGBTQ youth | Opinion

Springfield's investment in Bransford center disregards vulnerable LGBTQ youth | Opinion

Araya Baker is an educator, researcher, suicidologist, and therapist, originally from Springfield, Tennessee.…

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10 Signs of Generational Envy

10 Signs of Generational Envy

Downward envy is a feeling of inferiority caused when a leader sees that a subordinate has something that the…

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Tennessee's Toxic Politics Are Dangerous for LGBTQ Youth

Tennessee's Toxic Politics Are Dangerous for LGBTQ Youth

Araya Baker is a counselor educator, suicidologist, and policy analyst. Baker has published commentary and pu…

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Focus Your Repentance Inward, Not on Antichrist Conspiracies Stereotyping LGBTQ+ Family

Focus Your Repentance Inward, Not on Antichrist Conspiracies Stereotyping LGBTQ+ Family

Trigger Warning: Discussion of anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theories; conversion/reparative therapy rhetoric; relig…

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Articles

Archiving Black Feminist Sex Therapist Dr. June Dobbs Butts

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By Araya Baker
| An Injustice!
Dr. June Dobbs Butts debunked today’s sexual stigmas, stereotypes and biases. Press enter or click to view image in full size Note: Psychology Today cross-published this essay. KEY POINTS Dr. June Dobbs Butts was a magazine columnist, taught at three HBCUs, and wrote Bermuda’s sex ed curriculum. Her op-eds debunked myths about HIV/AIDS, queerness, teen pregnancy, sexual abuse, and sex addiction.
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Archiving Black Feminist Sex Therapist Dr. June Dobbs Butts

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By Araya Baker, Devon Frye 
| Psychology Today
Source: Photograph, “Dr. June Dobbs Butts Presenting at the First National Conference on Black Women's Health Issues at Spelman College in Atlanta in 1983.”, Spelman College Archives Photographic Collections, Spelman College Archives, Atlanta, Ga. Dr. June Dobbs Butts was a sexual education pioneer whose legacy deserves greater recognition and preservation, especially during Black History Month.
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Is Moral Injury Behind the Rise in Suicides Among Israeli Soldiers?

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By Araya Baker, Devon Frye 
| Psychology Today
Source: Diana Khwaelid / Unsplash Suicides among the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have reportedly hit a 13-year high. As of July 2025, at least 54 soldiers have died by suicide since the start of the Israel-Hamas War on October 7, 2023. This includes 16 suicides in 2025, 21 in 2024, and 17 in 2023—compared to 14 in 2022 and 11 in 2021.
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Interview

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What does it mean to be a journalist?

Championing human dignity and being courageously committed to upholding the truth.

Why did you become a journalist?

Truth-telling is the only hope we have in the pursuit of equity and justice.

Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?

Arts & Culture reviewer for the Entertainment section.

Awards

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Mental Health Hero Award – The Mighty

2018 - Advocacy

"Each year, using nominations from our community, we honor 10 people who have done incredible things for mental health awareness and advocacy. From celebrities who use their platforms to let others know it’s OK not to be OK, to the people who work behind-the-scenes to provide resources for those who are struggling, the people who become our Mental Health Heroes have made an impact, and we’re so excited to celebrate them with all of you."

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101 Black Gay And Queer Activists Who Made Impact In 2020 – NATIVE SON

2020 - Advocacy

"The Native Son 101 is a list in alphabetical order of the Black gay/queer men who made an impact in our community and in the world in 2020. These are the Brothers who pushed through one of the most horrific years in history and made a difference, created something new, and broke barriers. It is 101 because we believe that the extra person in our community can create change. It’s also a double entendres because this is a lesson in the beauty, boldness and brilliance of Black gay/queer men."

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Black LGBTQ+ Activists Aiding In The Resistance – Essence Magazine

2018 - Advocacy

"While many Black LGBTQ+voices continue to be targeted and silenced in popular queer spaces, some have made it their life’s work to follow in the footsteps of those who have come before us. By speaking truth to power, these Black LGBTQ+ activists are reminding us that the only way we are ever going to be fully liberated is by making the personal, political."

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The Award for Excellence in Promoting Diversity & Inclusion – University of Pennsylvania GSE

2016 - Advocacy

"This award honors students who embody and strive to promote one of our core values – an inclusive community."

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