Statement of Support for Victims and Survivors of Sexual Assault - Association for Humanist Sociology

Statement of Support for Victims and Survivors of Sexual Assault

The board members of the Association for Humanist Sociology unequivocally believe and support survivors of sexual assault. As critical humanist sociologists, we are keenly aware of how a patriarchal system operates to oppose those who are abused sexually, physically, and emotionally, and against those who show courage in calling out their abusers. We condemn that system strongly.

Recently the Association for Humanist Sociology, through its journal Humanity and Society, published a special issue using a guest editor who is alleged to have committed these kinds of abuses against a beloved colleague. This guest editor was commissioned months before the allegations were made or brought to the attention of the AHS. After much consideration and discussion, we made the decision to produce the special issue to share the (unrelated) work of the other contributors.

In trying to resolve this difficult conflict, the Editor of Humanity and Society reached out several times to the guest editor in question requesting that he resign from the issue. He did not reply. The board agrees with the Editor of Humanity and Society that to not have published the special issue would have meant pulling the articles of the contributing authors, some of whom are graduate students and early-career scholars. Our intent with Humanity and Society has always been to elevate the work of such practicing scholars for academic consideration and promotion. We did not intend for our valued colleague to be triggered or re-injured through this process. We express our deepest respect for her and we commit to seeking peace and justice for all abuse survivors.

We reiterate in closing that we do not condone social systems that perpetuate sexual, physical, psychological, and emotional abuse in U.S. society. We regret that some may feel that the publication of this special issue rings discordant with our humanist values. The Association for Humanist Sociology is in the process of finalizing a sexual harassment/assault policy and is developing practices to prevent abuse and to support survivors.