Since Prostasia Foundation published our interview with Dr Allyn Walker earlier this month, a disturbing wave of attacks began to mount against the prevention researcher. The attacks took a familiar form that many other prevention experts have also experienced: misinformation about their statements and beliefs, slurs and false insinuations, suicide baiting, and death threats. On November 16, Dr Walker was placed on leave from their university for their own safety. They continue to enjoy strong support from colleagues in the prevention field and from Prostasia Foundation.
The attacks against Dr Walker have been particularly ferocious, exacerbated by a strong undercurrent of anti-trans bigotry. But Dr Walker was not their only target. In the same week that Dr Walker was placed on leave and deleted their Twitter account, the Global Prevention Project, also a long-time target of troll attacks, also took down its Twitter account and website. Three members of Prostasia Foundation’s team have also been personally attacked with doxxing and death threats. This is unacceptable, and it does nothing to make children safer.
In the long term, society’s attitudes towards the discussion of pedophilia and child sexual abuse must change so that researchers, clinicians, and prevention allies are not forced into hiding and made to fear for their safety. Until then, we need to take precautions for our own physical and emotional wellbeing. That’s why this week Prostasia has published a new Anti-harassment resource guide for prevention allies under attack. The guide covers:
- Privacy and security basics
- Preparations if you expect to be harassed
- Responses to active harassment
If you are experiencing false accusations or other attacks similar to those that Dr Walker and other prevention experts have suffered, then you have our empathy and support. We hope that you will find this guide useful.
We live in a society
Hey, man. I was born in a country where haircuts were considered shameful, until the Manchurians did something about it. Obviously, we should emulate intent, but not method, due to… Well, obvious reasons.
Candice should honestly re open her website (The Prevention Project)
She has basically shown that the cancellations work, and has given anti’s a reason to continue.
We cant let peoples angry comments bring us down because they will then just keep sending them.
Yes, that’s a price we pay for fighting against distorted moral values. I’m used to all that, and so should you. The good news is exactly the fact that this kind of stuff is soo predictable, that you can use it in your favor :3
For example, as we know, they will lie about our intentions to make us look bad. So, one of the strategies is to give space for them to tell those lies. Then use their lies to attack their credibility later. Anyway, in an information war, lying is always a shoot in the foot.