Science a cool place for gals

Re The Shame Game, June 16

Your reporter missed the point of the online reaction to Tim Hunt’s sexist comments about “girls” in science labs, and has done a lazy job of falling back on clichés about irresponsibly ruining people’s lives with social media.

Hunt’s comments were not taken out of context or misinterpreted; in fact, he doubled down on his sexism in a subsequent interview. I have been following #distractinglysexy and far from being an online lynch mob, the tone is upbeat, funny and positive.

No one has called for Hunt’s resignation or attacked him personally. Instead, it is inspiring to see all those (mostly) young female scientists posting pictures of themselves at their lab benches or field sites, proud of their accomplishments.

One of my own former students posted a picture of herself in surgical gown and mask with the caption: “Thumbs up 2 myself 4 pulling off yet another dissection w/o crying or falling in love!”

Parents should show #distractinglysexy to their young daughters and let them see all the really cool things women can do with a career in science. Dr. Patricia Lakin-Thomas, associate professor, department of biology, York University