Harassment

When It's Someone You Know (Updated)

Stephanie Zvan17 Comments

I don’t usually drink and write, but I’m doing it now. It isn’t because I needed to drink to write this. It’s because I need to write this now, before I can flinch, and I happen to have had some wine.

This morning, my friend Bora Zivkovic sent me a Twitter direct message that was merely a link to this post.

I am very ashamed of this incident which happened more than a year ago. Staff at Scientific American spoke to me and Ms. Byrne about our interaction at that time. I asked that my sincere apologies be conveyed to Ms. Byrne for the distress she suffered as a result of my inappropriate remarks and emails to her, and I also expressed my deep regret to the company about acting unprofessionally. The company offered her an apology as well. It was a difficult time for me personally and I made a mistake – I should not have shared my personal issues with her. It is not behavior that I have engaged in before or since. I hope to be known for my continued professional and appropriate support of science writers rather than for this singular, regrettable event for which I am deeply sorry. My behavior before and after this incident reflects my true respect for women, and I deeply regret the distress I caused to my wife and Ms.Byrne. I appreciate the messages of support I have received and understand the views of those who have been critical but I intend to let Ms. Byrne’s post and this statement end the discussion from my side.

Monica Byrne’s post is here. There are allegations of additional harassment in the comments. (Update: See also this post from Hannah Waters about, in her words, “not-quite-harassment“. I don’t have much to say about it at the moment except that I’m glad she wrote it, and I’m glad that her community feels supportive enough to her for her to have written it.) Continue reading “When It's Someone You Know (Updated)” →

When It's Someone You Know (Updated)
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Becky Garrison and the Disappearing #FtBullies

Stephanie Zvan29 Comments

On Friday, I ran into some behavior from a reporter I expected would know better. It ended up being so typical of interactions with people who insist something is FreethoughtBlogs’ fault, I had to capture it for posterity. If the embed doesn’t work, the original is here.


Becky Garrison and the Disappearing #FtBullies

Help Me Out Here, Scientific American

Stephanie Zvan6 Comments

I’ve been reading your blog network for a while now, since Bora Zivkovic came along and put together a remarkable crew of diverse bloggers who can speak to life in science, communicating science, and scientific results themselves. I’ve even contributed to the Guest Blog twice. It’s been a good run (though today, you face the very real possibility that it’s coming to an end). Now, however, I’m confused. Maybe you can help me out. Continue reading “Help Me Out Here, Scientific American” →

Help Me Out Here, Scientific American

The Case Against Female Self-Esteem, Part I

Stephanie Zvan31 Comments

I recently received an email from reader and occasional commenter captainahags titled “Please take this idiot apart!” The post in question is by Matt Forney, a self-published “entrepreneur” who seems to have taken bragging “pick-up artists” seriously when they said there was money in all those poor, lonely guys on the internet. So last year he started up a blog to test the idea that you can publish any old crap, call it “game”, and make money. He’s already put out a “best of” book.

The post in question is a perfect example of “any old crap”. It’s whiny, contradictory, and backed up by fuck all. But here. Rather that tell you about it, let’s show you what flies in PUA land–with commentary, because it wasn’t the post that sent captainahags to me as much as the fact that Forney doesn’t allow critical comments on his blog.

I’m just gonna come out and say it: I love insecure women. Continue reading “The Case Against Female Self-Esteem, Part I” →

The Case Against Female Self-Esteem, Part I

Questions on a Block Bot (Updated)

Stephanie Zvan40 Comments

While I’ve not been feeling well, I’ve had a set of questions sitting in my inbox. Being ill creates its own time dilation, so this all seems very long ago, but as I recall, the original idea was to find someone who approves of The Block Bot to answer some questions about it for an article. I figure that if I answer them here, I’ll actually get this done.

Q: What is the brief history of this Block Bot?

As this is the Atheism+ Block Bot, it needs to be understood in the context of the history of Atheism+. Continue reading “Questions on a Block Bot (Updated)” →

Questions on a Block Bot (Updated)

Catch Me on the RH Reality Cast

Stephanie Zvan2 Comments

A little while ago, I sat down to talk to Amanda Marcotte about the situation with harassment in the skeptic and secular movements. As it turns out, I have theories. Find out what they are here. And if you’re looking for a good podcast to keep you up to date on the challenges to reproductive freedom around the country, there’s plenty more in the archives.

Catch Me on the RH Reality Cast

Prepare for the Blazing

Stephanie Zvan30 Comments

Now that “Elevatorgate” is in the news for his harassment on Twitter, I figured news sources might as well know that this isn’t just the one account with the puerile name-calling and the obsessive Storifying. Just scratching the surface, there are several. I also named his associate, Edie Kendel/AmbrosiaX, because the fact that people who do this are being aided by others within our community is contested, and thus, important.

So now, according to Edie, I guess I’m gonna get it. Continue reading “Prepare for the Blazing” →

Prepare for the Blazing

What Mother Jones Missed

Stephanie Zvan21 Comments

Mother Jones today published an article about “Elevatorgate”. No, not the backlash Rebecca Watson has been receiving for more than two years now. Reporter Dana Liebelson wrote about the pseudonymous fellow with that Twitter handle (now, apparently, permanently suspended by Twitter after the publicity it’s been receiving) and former blog title who has been trying to inflict harm on Rebecca Watson for more than two years now. The part of the backlash who named himself after the whole.

The occasion of the article is Elevatorgate’s recent forays into “documenting” feminists outside the skeptical and secular movements through Storify. With more people (and more high-profile people) complaining, Storify’s president has had to take notice. He hasn’t done it well (Voltaire! Ergo there are no limits to free speech!), but he is maybe, possibly getting better.

What sets apart Liebelson’s article, however, is that Elevatorgate reached out through an “intermediary” who says they “work with elevatorgate” to give his take on what he’s doing. Continue reading “What Mother Jones Missed” →

What Mother Jones Missed

In Which I Falsely Report a Rape

Stephanie Zvan58 Comments

…according to the slime pit. Expect to be hearing the story passed around, since people are working very hard to distract from Shermer right now. They’re doing their best to turn the spotlight around and put us on the defensive.

I’ve written four times, I think, about various aspects of having been sexually assaulted at age 15 by the father of the young man I intended to “lose my virginity” to.

The short version: Continue reading “In Which I Falsely Report a Rape” →

In Which I Falsely Report a Rape