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As a former proud member @DanforthCenter, who was fired for reporting sexual harassment against others & LGBT harassment against myself, whose family was separated as a result, I can assure you that this is deflecting accountability & again meant to gaslight and harm victims 1/n https://twitter.com/becky_bart/status/1348001248042250241
To begin we first have to clarify a timeline of events. @brutnell was found kissing a grad student on 4 Nov 2016. He told former head of @Danforthcenter HR Debbie Barron on 9 Nov 16 & he also told @PNASNews member @TheKelloggLab, who did not act on the info & still has a job 2/n
The reason we begin with the timing of events is because after the incident & reporting in late 2016, all reporters against @brutnell & his victims were fired. @brutnell remained employed for 2 years. @danforthcenter knowingly employed a hararasser & fired victims 3/n
This timeline was denied by @danforthcenter & Pres Faculty Advisory Comm members @maliagehan @becky_bart @TheKelloggLab & Dr. Allen. @danforthcenter deleted a statement it had only known since May 18 , similar to a now deleted tweet from @maliagehan saying it "acted swiftly" 4/n
The public denial by @maliagehan that there were no "gag orders" https://twitter.com/maliagehan/status/1007002040395059201 is false. I was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement & faced stigma afterwards finding a job that I harassed somebody. I was falsely blacklisted. Trainees were victimized & fired 5/n
A brief interruption in this thread to say that deflecting & gaslighting like this is why we're at this point @ehaswell. It meant something when you tried to silence me before, to put the needs of @danforthcenter & STL before victims & trainees. No longer. Ive suffered enough 6/n
Another brief interruption to show why this thread is happening. @becky_bart, why don't you go collect your trash--Dr. Carrington & @danforthcenter--who knowingly fired victims & continued to employ @brutnell for 2 yrs rather than harassing & hurting victims 7/n
In Sept 2014, @brutnell forcibly grabbed my hand to measure the ratio of my fingers to see if I was gay in front of his former wife & @danforthcenter PI Dr. Eveland. This was prefaced by explaining that senior European PI didn't want to come to STL because of anti-LGBT law 8/n
On January 29 2016, I made the following report about @brutnell to Dr. Jim Carrington. I also mentioned "minor" other examples of sexual harassment by @brutnell. I was asked by Dr. Carrington to remove my accusations of scientific misconduct bc of the recent Voinnet scandal) 9/n
Before I could make theses accusations, I first needed LGBT protections, which did not exist in STL. On 28 Jan 2016, I first requested that @danforthcenter 1) put LGBT protections in training materials, 2) add gender protections, 3) research if LGBT protections exist 10/n
After making these reports, @brutnell retaliated against one of my employees. They entered @brutnell lab & @brutnell "hissed" at them. I of course made a report about this, @brutnell denied & privately Dr. Carrington made me apologize to @brutnell & former HR head Ms. Barron 11/n
Another important example of how @danforthcenter is hostile towards LGBT. I gave a tour of my lab (as expected of my job) to @/julie_kelly2 & @/vancecrowe @Bayer4Crops in Feb 2016. Later it turned out @/vancecrowe invited transphobe JB Pxtersxn to talk at the farm bureau 12/n
Read more about transphobia & @Bayer4Crops here https://thewire.in/the-sciences/i-was-lured-into-monsantos-gmo-crusade-heres-what-i-learned I mention this interaction because after the election @/julie_kelly2 started a hate war against me for speaking up after the election Nov 2016 https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/12/scientific-community-2016-election-anti-donald-trump-conservatives/. My husband I received death threats 13/n
For speaking out against Trump after the election & giving a tour to my lab @danforthcenter an angry twitter mob was incited against me saying "U & ur friends go get married in a mosque #HeadChoppedOff". Prominent scientists with political ambitions didn't help the situation 14/n
(as a side note, after I was fired, @baxtertwi was deemed straight enough to give another tour of @danforthcenter to Trump supporters who issued death threats to me and my family and defamed me) 15/n
With death threats & defamation from speaking out against the election of Trump, harassment & retaliation from @brutnell for measuring my fingers to see if I was gay, @danforthcenter unwilling to enforce LGBT rights where none existed in STL, things were critical Dec 2016 16/n
On MLK day ´17, I was called to Dr. Carrington's office. CEO Fiorello was there. Dr. Carrington said "we see know way forward" and "we don't want to see you without any salary" and "Trust me as the father of a gay son" 17/n
I signed a non-disclosure agreement & I was terminated.
My future husband was undocumented, I had no income, I had to sell my house. Trump was president
In every sense of the word, I suffered consequences for reporting. It would be 2 more years until @brutnell was fired.
18/n
My future husband was undocumented, I had no income, I had to sell my house. Trump was president
In every sense of the word, I suffered consequences for reporting. It would be 2 more years until @brutnell was fired.
18/n
During 2017, a former trainee of @brutnell lab contacts me. They said they were sad to leave @danforthcenter & that they had their own ethical problems with @brutnell. They say @danforthcenter is about to "implode". I agree with them. 19/n
After hearing there were others--young, vulnerable trainees--still being harassed @danforthcentter, I felt obliged to tell somebody
I chose to tell @baxtertwi. He was a co-PI and co-author with @brutnell. We had an intense phone call in 2017 where I demanded accountability 20/n
I chose to tell @baxtertwi. He was a co-PI and co-author with @brutnell. We had an intense phone call in 2017 where I demanded accountability 20/n
This is where timing becomes important, bc misinformation was spread when @brutnell was fired in June 2018.
I had my own problems with @brutnell. But Dr. Carrington & @TheKelloggLab had known of the much more substantial sexual harassment that had been reported in Nov 2016 21/n
I had my own problems with @brutnell. But Dr. Carrington & @TheKelloggLab had known of the much more substantial sexual harassment that had been reported in Nov 2016 21/n
Throughout 2017, I interview for jobs. Rightfully, these institutions question if I had harassed somebody. I'm glad these ?s were asked. But I bring this up to show how a non-disclosure, without the ability to defend myself, blacklisted me while @brutnell remained employed 22/n
Finally where @brutnell gets fired. @brutnell impregnates one of his trainees, most women in his lab are harassed in some way & leave science, the baby is born mid-2017, and evidence during divorce proceedings is when @danforthcenter finally acts, terminating him June 18 23/n
Lies & defamation from @danforthcenter & PIs began with the firing of @brutnell in June '18, two years after his misdeeds & Carrington @TheKelloggLab knew. In since deleted tweets, @danforthcenter said it acted quickly within a month, @maliagehan said that action was "swift" 24/n
Members of the STL community said there were no "gag orders" even though victims & myself had been fired in 2016/17 when incidents were 1st reported. Others, who had been kept apprise of events, said that public statements contradicting @danforthcenter were not appropriate 25/n
& now for accountability. Me & other victims/reporters KNEW what happened to us in late 2016, how our careers were derailed for reporting 2017 when we lost jobs @danforthcenter. Carrington continued to employ @brutnell 2 yrs until 2018
Some in our community looked into this 26/n
Some in our community looked into this 26/n
Immediately after trying to hold @danforthcenter accountable June '18 after firing @brutnell when they said they only knew for a month & "acted swiftly", @becky_bart emailed me & said I was "taking credit" & "spreading lies"...after the retaliation I faced for speaking truth 27/n
And I held @baxtertwi accountable. I told him what happened to me in 2016/17, the sexual assault that was reported to me that occurred in Nov '16 that Carrington & @thekellogglab knew about, @maliagehan calling me & other victims "hysterical", @ehaswell's deflections 28/n
I further held @baxtertwi accountable as a co-PI/co-author benefitting from @brutnell, to give victims the same benefit-of-the-doubt he gave Tom, his obligations as leading @aspb institutions, & about Sharon Gray who told me what @danforthcenter said to her before she died 29/n
The response of Dr @baxtertwi to being told & reported to of @brutnell--his co-PI which he was receiving money from & benefiting from--was that the accusations were "threatening & unwanted" & he reported to @danforthcenter head HR putting me into danger bc of non-disclosure 30/n
The official response from HR was that the prior investigations were inconclusive. NOTHING about that the accusations were subsequently found to be true. NOTHING centering victims that were fired & not in science anymore. NOTHING about the loss of our careers. Just cover up 31/n
Folks, I tried my best, I really did. I tried to hold the culprit, Dr. Jim Carrington, who knew about the sexual harassment of @brutnell, continued to employ him for 2 years, & fired the victims & reporters & vulnerable trainees. I called and I called and I wrote & wrote 32/n
Now let's talk about retaliation and the impacts to my career. First, the manuscripts. I was about to not be included in https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/70/21/6261/5556921 despite conceiving it & securing materials. I demanded I be put back on...and a statement explaining the context of this paper 33/n
I was denied authorship on this application of TDA to grass spikelet shape analysis, to which I helped conceived and contributed to before I was fired for reporting https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6282083/ 34/n
I'm blocked by @baxtertwi, @becky_bart, @slotkin_lab because I reported. These folks hold power over the community & this affects my career in a way that I don't deserve. All I wanted was to have the right to family in a way that didn't affect my job like they do 35/n
Blocking may seem a petty thing to be upset abt. It's not when EIC is @baxtertwi & you have a paper @plantdirectj. It's not funny w the "podcast" of your society @aspb @plantae_org , who speaks on your behalf on DEI issues blocks you because you reported. This is retaliation 36/n
It's retaliation when for speaking up against defamation to your career, @danforthcenter places cease & desist on me saying I can't interact w Danforth personnel. The head of my grant won't listen to me & says to "focus on the science" rather than keeping my family together 37/n
NSF thought that this was retaliation too, when I reported that @ajmiller4233 was taking away grant money assigned to me because of circumstances that @danforthcenter put me in. When I told the PO, they were obligated under Title IX to report to ODI and report was submitted 38/n
Which brings us full circle & to where we started. When @maliagehan posted a @danforthcenter job ad on #GreenPI slack saying it's "family friendly", I said no, it was not friendly to all families, especially for LGBT. 39/n
For saying this, a cease & desist was issued, again taking advantage of non-disclosure that I was forced to sign. The unreasonableness of this: I can't go to meetings anymore bc I might run into a @danforthcenter member. I can't be on my own grant with Danforth personnel 40/n
This pettiness of calling the victim a bully, comparing victims to Trump on twitter, gaslighting, trying your best to further retaliate and punish me for reporting, for telling what I know to be the truth and suffered for? Not tolerating this @baxtertwi @ehaswell @becky_bart 41/n
When I provide MY experience @DanforthCenter, that for reporting MY family was separated, that MY career suffered while the rest of you were allowed to be with your loved ones & didnt suffer consequences bc you weren't harassed, didn't report, retaliated & covered the truth? 42/n
DON'T BLAME ME FOR TELLING THE TRUTH. I told you Dr. Carrington & Dr. @TheKelloggLab knew of sexual assault for 2 years while victims were fired. I have nothing against these folks, but I certainly did nothing wrong. And me and my family have suffered and I am over this now 43/n
Ive done my duty, tried to hold Carrington accountable when you all hurt me trying to protect him. I'm not a part of my society @ASPB, my grants, my work. This is why I speak my experience: there was no accountability & I want to protect whoever the next faculty member is 44/n
I told my story & truth. I provided you most the evidence I have. I like to believe the world is what we make of it: I feel confident I pointed out the failings of @danforthcenter & our institutions at large & I hope the next gen is aware of the challenges they face ahead (end)
