#MeToo and #ClassicsTwitter

 

Monday 2nd November saw my Twitter become the site of a massive #MeToo movement on #ClassicsTwitter. This blog post is going to be my account of what happened, and a hopeful gesture toward what's next. 

TW: online abuse; sexual abuse; gendered violence. 

As you may know, Ryan Stitt (henceforth referred to only as RS) runs a very popular Classics podcast called The History of Ancient Greece, on which he has interviewed many prominent Classicists, as well as a lot of emerging PhD and ECRs in the field. On Twitter, he very much presented himself as someone who promotes marginalised voices in our field, often lamenting the dominance of "old, white men" and offering alternatives: he used his large platform to promote the voices of many young women and non-binary people who are doing important, revitalising work in Classics. 

It transpires, though, that RS was also using his large online platform to target and sexually harass young women in Classics. 

This is where I come in. 

RS and I were Twitter mutuals and he often tweeted links to my blog, which always led to massive traction on my blog and influxes of new Twitter followers. Then he added me on Facebook, which I thought was kind of odd, but I figured that he probably didn't have the same divide that I (and many other young academics) do: Twitter for academia, Facebook for personal. Anyway, I accepted him, and he promptly messaged me to say that he liked my blog; I, in turn, complimented his podcast and 'online presence', and asked him how he got into Classics. 

The conversation ended and I gave it no more thought, until I woke up to a message off RS last Monday morning. The message was a thinly-veiled brag about his sexual performance; it was presented as (unsolicited) medical advice. I replied saying that it was inappropriate of him and, before he replied, I posted a screenshot of it on Twitter: 

Hey #ClassicsTwitter you know @greekhistorypod ? Here’s a message from that guy to me, after adding me on Facebook, in response to me asking him how he got into classics 🙃 happy Monday I guess pic.twitter.com/PN1XisVDGI

— Shelby🖤’Regina Optia’ (@Judgeyxo) November 2, 2020

I honestly, honestly, did not expect much of a response. Maybe a pal or two to reply with a commiserating "ugh", and then for me to get on with my Monday (which was supposed to consist of me procrastinating chapter writing). 

Instead, I received a massive influx of responses - both publicly and via direct message - from (predominantly young, PhD / ECR) women saying that he'd done this to them, too. Numerous women said that he'd sent them the exact same message, and claimed that he'd meant to send it to someone else with the same / similar name. Other women shared that he'd sent them sexually explicit messages, and/or dick pics, again claiming that they were supposed to go elsewhere. More women, still, shared that he had said aggressive, or otherwise inappropriate, things to them. 

I, along with the other people who spoke up, also got so many responses from others in the #ClassicsTwitter community, full of love and support and unwavering belief - to everyone who reached out with such messages: thank you. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. 

Of course, because it's Twitter and it is often a cesspool bird website, there were also a number of people coming out in defence of RS - claiming that I was just jealous of his career, that I was making it up, that it was an innocent mistake that I was exaggerating for attention, that I am objectively too ugly to be sexually harassed. Some of these people have since apologised. Not enough of them, though. And, frankly, the less said about them, the better. What I will say, though, is that if you were one of those people, please learn from this - learn to believe women who come forward and consider that your immediate response in defence of the abuser is part of the systemic problem that causes women not to come forward, because there is a culture of abuse and disbelief against those who speak out. 

Source

Anyway, in amongst this Twitter storm, RS got back to me. He said the message was supposed to go to a 'Shannon' (the same lie he'd used with a multitude of other people, just with different names inserted). Then, he reached out to me via Twitter, asking if I would Zoom call him for him to explain this misunderstanding. 

Let me be absolutely clear here: This is gaslighting, and it is a tool of abusers. Claiming that it is an honest mistake (when it is clearly not) and that the person speaking out is overreacting is gaslighting. Saying that there is a simple explanation implies that the person speaking out is too emotional to see a logical reason - and it is gaslighting. This particular abuser had relied all too long on his public reputation as a feminist ally - as a person who amplifies the voices of marginalised people - and who relied on his followers not to speak up because of this. Put another way: it was believable that it was an honest mistake, because he's a "nice guy". That is, until someone spoke up, and it became clear that it was a pattern of abuse. 

I explained to him that, no, he could not video-call me, and that he was clearly under a misapprehension about the seriousness of this moment: 

 

This is the absolute last thing I have to say on the matter, except to thank you all for your support and to say that my DMs are always open ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jlms8R7zky

— Shelby🖤’Regina Optia’ (@Judgeyxo) November 3, 2020

RS did a couple of tweets on his account too, bemoaning the suffering of migraines, blaming his mental health, and how sad it is that he hasn't fostered as many loyal relationships on Twitter as he had previously thought. He said he was going to take a break from Twitter and, not long later, he deleted his account (presumably, at least in part, to stop the rapid loss of followers that he was experiencing). 

I was then accused of leading a dogpile against him. Dogpiling is when a post or profile is bombarded with a torrent of abuse, designed to make you take back your opinion and intimidate you (source). I know all about dogpiling, because it happened to me - in fact, I nearly called this blogpost Cassandra II because, almost exactly a year ago, I was the victim of online abuse, dogpiling, and doxxing (which you can read all about here). So, believe me when I tell you, RS was not the victim of dogpiling. 

RS was not the victim at all. RS is an abuser, whose shitty actions were brought to light. 

Addendum 

I have been contacted by a number of people supposedly from RS's life, including his brother and colleagues in the Air Force. They both requested my contact information, and the names and contact information of the women who had confided in me. I, of course, have not shared any of that information, and nor will I. 

An account claiming to be the military police, but without any tweets or followers, and that had only just been made, also reached out and recommended that I send any complaint directly to them, instead of through the formal channels. Again, no. 

I'm simply sharing this part of the story to encourage vigilance from all those affected, and to promise that I won't be duped into sharing any sensitive information.

     

So, What's Next?  

Please do not think that this is the end of the story. I will provide more updates when I can. In the meantime, if you have an experience with RS that you want to share with me (or any thoughts, feelings, or retriggered trauma that this whole experience has caused you) please feel free to reach out via Twitter (@Judgeyxo) or email me at SJEditing7@gmail.com. My inbox will always be a safe space for you, I promise. 

At the same time, please do not feel obligated to share your experiences. You do not owe anyone your story, and your feelings and experiences are just as valid as those of people who have come forward. 

Love, support, and solidarity - always.