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One thing I have been thinking a lot about is that whisper networks can help protect vulnerable people from abusers, but unless we're all connected then it doesn't do much in reality.
Abusers will leave a job and get one somewhere else, and due to legal stuff or whatever you may never find out about what happened at the previous job until much later.
The aura of fear around naming abusers and harassers enables them to continue, and it sucks. I wouldn't even know where to start looking into certain people, and a lot of it ends up being hearsay and a game of telephone.
And if you have a story to share, how do you know it's safe to share it with someone else?
I think about this stuff a lot, as I have learned a lot about certain people in my field who still have jobs and are protected by their institutions.
I am also acutely aware of how this sort of stuff can be weaponised against marginalised people. Abusers will try to frame the narrative like they are the ones who are abused and harassed, and then they spread stories about the people they have harmed.
This has been happening, by the way. Like this exact scenario.
Anyway, if anyone who follows me feels like they need to talk about someone who they work with or know and they don't feel safe, you can talk to me, even if it's just to let someone else know and get reassurance.
ADDENDUM: do not use my thread to support some effort to extract information about abusers from BIPOC. That just happened, and it is uncool.
Related: using neurodivergence as an excuse for invasive behaviour and then doubling down is also not okay.
I had this in the replies but here is a mini-thread about why whisper networks exist https://twitter.com/AdmiralHip/status/1274411669909835777?s=20
Abusers know how to infiltrate spaces. It may be "easier" when they are old white men because many of us are just more wary of them anyway. But when they aren't, then it creates issues.
People are then afraid to speak out for a whole host of other reasons. It is complicated, and I have seen many and heard of many people who infiltrate BIPOC and queer spaces and behave very badly.
It becomes an issue of intracommunity discussion and how much a group can publicly discuss (if at all) because you get a million spicy hot takes from privileged people about it. It could be further weaponised by bigots.
My queer friends will know just how many terrible abusers are in the community. It is hard to talk about because it feels like you need to have outward solidarity, you can't show any cracks.
The people may do a lot of advocacy work, they may be big in activist circles, have publications, have a massive online presence and institutional support with powerful allies.
This could be said of anyone but it seems to hurt harder when it's someone from your own community.
It should also be said: people can have experienced abuse, be marginalised, and may even have done good work for the community. But that does not stop them from being an abuser.
