MOVING TO FRONT FROM MAY 22, 2018, SINCE RELEVANT AGAIN--ALSO UPDATED
You really can't make this stuff up:
Stock’s essay was recently signal-boosted by a cis male blogger [i.e., Leiter, who is not a cis male though is a blogger] who is hostile to feminism in the philosophy profession, and who has been linking to essays by cis people (mostly cis men) that debate whether trans women are women. While it is logically possible for something to be both liked by this blogger and helpful to the feminist cause, I am categorically distrustful of anything he endorses.
Let's review some of the ways I've harmed "the feminist cause" over the years:
1. I was the first senior male figure in the profession to call attention (on this blog) to the sexual harassment problem in philosophy, way back in 2009 (I "signal-boosted" the problem, shall we say), and I've given extensive coverage to these issues over the years.
2. I also "signal-boosted" the movement for the APA to really enforce its existing policies against anti-gay discrimination--it started with this post in 2007, but really took off after this post and the subsequent petition. See also here and here .
3. I exposed the "Climate for Women" hoax perpetrated by Linda Alcoff and colleagues, who were trying to recommend to female students graduate programs with documented sexual harassment problems.
4. I have repeatedly called attention to various programs aimed at helping women enter and succeed in the profession.
Maybe none of these matter for "the feminist cause," though I would have thought otherwise. Or perhaps "feminist cause" is really shorthand for something else?
It's ironic that the author of the initial comment is a tenured professor at Stanford; I recently heard from another Stanford professor (who had gotten caught up in the fake 2014 controversy to take down the PGR) who now regretted what had happened: "as I’ve come to learn more about your most vociferous critics and have seen what similar folks are doing to the profession (Hypatia, etc.) I think you’re more sinned against than sinning."
UPDATE: Shortly after this original post appeared, a young feminist philosopher wrote to me the following:
I felt compelled to share my frustration over the outrageous comment at FP regarding your supposed anti-feminism. It is enraging to read such nonsense about you - especially when you were the loudest voice speaking in defense of Rebecca Tuvel last year, while so many “feminists” in the field were busy leading the attacks against here. I continue to be grateful for your refreshing honesty and bravery. Anyone who disregards you in such a manner is too far down their ideological hole to see out of it. Indeed, I fear I was once there myself, and I owe you a very belated apology for having signed that petition against you as a grad student. I’m very sorry for having done so, and am embarrassed that I did.
You remain an eminently reasonable voice in our profession. Thanks for all you do.
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