Adopt and enforce a clear policy — as organizations and individuals — for dealing seriously and fully with illegal actions like sexual harassment and explicit discrimination or discrimination revealed by HR or legal counsel. Commensurate consequences and reform procedures, escalating as necessary to expulsion, are critical. The perpetrator is not so much more important than the greater number of people they are driving away, the risk of a lawsuit to the organization protecting them, or the risk they bring to the community’s reputation, that such actions should be protected. If this community’s members are as smart as we like to think, using a heavy hand once, if necessary at all, should be all it takes, so long as the threat of using it again is credibly maintained.
One defining feature of the #metoo movement has been its exposing of powerful men, often in leadership positions and protected by influential friends, who sexually harassed women.
As you know, Jacy Reese (previously known as Jacy Anthis), recently admitted to harassing women in the EA movement. While exactly what he did is not public, it was apparently severe enough that CEA has found it necessary to ban him from all CEA-associated events. His undergraduate college, Brown University, expelled him in 2012 after similar accusations, though he denied them at the time.
In light of the above, does the Sentience Institute agree that CEA's actions were reasonable to protect women in the EA movement?
Secondly, could you explain how the Sentience Institute is handling the issue? To my knowledge Jacy is currently Head of Research, and many organizations instinctively protect their leaders. Additionally, Jacy is in a relationship with you, the Executive Director, which seems like a conflict of interest. How are you reassuring people that he will not receive more lenient treatment as a result?
It's also worth noting that kbog, who has been vigorously defending Jacy in the comments here, seems to have deleted this information from Jacy's wikipedia page back in August 2018:
Reese's career at Brown was cut short, however, by what he claimed were false allegations of sexual misconduct. Despite Reese's protests that the University's standard of "preponderance of evidence" against him was insufficient, Reese was expelled from Brown University in 2012 without completing his sophomore year.
One defining feature of the #metoo movement has been its exposing of powerful men, often in leadership positions and protected by influential friends, who sexually harassed women.
As you know, Jacy Reese (previously known as Jacy Anthis), recently admitted to harassing women in the EA movement. While exactly what he did is not public, it was apparently severe enough that CEA has found it necessary to ban him from all CEA-associated events. His undergraduate college, Brown University, expelled him in 2012 after similar accusations, though he denied them at the time.
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/8XdAvioKZjAnzbogf/apology
In light of the above, does the Sentience Institute agree that CEA's actions were reasonable to protect women in the EA movement?
Secondly, could you explain how the Sentience Institute is handling the issue? To my knowledge Jacy is currently Head of Research, and many organizations instinctively protect their leaders. Additionally, Jacy is in a relationship with you, the Executive Director, which seems like a conflict of interest. How are you reassuring people that he will not receive more lenient treatment as a result?
It's also worth noting that kbog, who has been vigorously defending Jacy in the comments here, seems to have deleted this information from Jacy's wikipedia page back in August 2018:
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jacy_Reese&type=revision&diff=856540437&oldid=856509360