Following the publication of a peer-reviewed article in a top disciplinary journal, two of our members, Dr Alison Howell and Dr Melanie Richter-Montpetit have, by various different parties, been accused of professional misconduct and libel, faced homophobic and fatphobic harassment, and there have been public calls to have them fired from their academic appointments. The integrity of the journal and its review process has also been attacked and the credibility of the anonymous reviewers has been questioned. These bullying tactics and threats are unacceptable and silence debate on the vital issue of race and racism in IR and security studies.
The attacks against two queer women colleagues have created an environment of intimidation that targets, not only the two authors, but other scholars in the field that are producing scholarship on racism, coloniality, as well as gender, and sexuality in IR theory. The chill effect of this callous campaign most acutely falls on early career and precariously employed scholars, and in particular scholars of color witnessing the ferocity of this backlash.
Regardless of your intellectual and academic position with regards to the article, we hope that you recognise that bullying has no place in the discipline, and are cognisant of the negative impact on individuals and the academic environment.
The LGBTQA Caucus stands in full solidarity with these two members.