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Asimov on Sexual Harassment

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Matt Beasley

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Jan 29, 2023, 2:15:08 PM1/29/23
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Asimov would often fondle, kiss and pinch women at conventions and elsewhere without regard for their consent. According to Alec Nevala-Lee, author of an Asimov biography[262] and writer on the history of science fiction, he often defended himself by saying that far from showing objections, these women cooperated.[263] In a 1971 satirical piece, The Sensuous Dirty Old Man, Asimov wrote: "The question then is not whether or not a girl should be touched. The question is merely where, when, and how she should be touched."[263]

According to Nevala-Lee, however, "many of these encounters were clearly nonconsensual."[263] He wrote that Asimov's behavior, as a leading science-fiction author and personality, contributed to an undesirable atmosphere for women in the male-dominated science fiction community. In support of this, he quoted some of Asimov's contemporary fellow-authors such as Judith Merril, Harlan Ellison and Frederik Pohl, as well as editors such as Timothy Seldes.[263] Additional specific incidents were reported by other people including Edward L. Ferman, long-time editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, who wrote "... instead of shaking my date's hand, he shook her left breast".[264]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov


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Kalkidas

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Jan 29, 2023, 3:15:08 PM1/29/23
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Did he grab 'em by the pussy?

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