A new exposé on celebrity atheist and author Lawrence Krauss reveals has been accused of sexual misconduct spanning a decade, including an allegation he groped a woman at a skeptics event in Melbourne.
BuzzFeed News reports Krauss, who has built a name as one of the most prominent voices in the modern religion-binning skepticism movement, has been barred from several college campuses as a result of his reported behaviour.
Melody Hensley, a skeptic and one-time fan of Krauss’ work, stated they met at a conference in 2006. He invited her to dinner; excited to meet a luminary in the movement, Hensley said she accepted the invitation.
But Krauss invited her to his hotel room beforehand, at which point Hensley alleged he lifted her onto the bed and began to forcibly kiss her and pull at her tights. She left the hotel room. Years later, she described the behaviour to BuzzFeed News as “predatory.” Krauss denied the allegation, claiming their contact was consensual.
Ten years later, Krauss attended an event at Melbourne Zoo when he allegedly groped a woman’s breast as they took a selfie. Numerous witnesses told the publication they saw Krauss grope the woman. The subsequent photo shows Krauss’ hand in motion; he again denied the allegation, saying he was lifting his hand to block the camera flash.
Melanie Thomson, a speaker at that particular event, informed Australian National University about the alleged incident as Krauss was scheduled to speak on campus. ANU investigated the matter but stated there wasn’t enough substantial evidence to bear out the allegation, that the photo didn’t prove unwanted contact, and that they couldn’t reach the alleged victim.
Krauss told BuzzFeed News ANU found the allegation was “fabricated with malicious intent.” ANU vehemently denied that characterisation.
Those are only two of the allegations included in the piece, which details an alleged history of groping women at bars, offering unwanted propositions on a cruise, and inappropriate comments about his female students.
Krauss is scheduled to visit Australia for a speaking tour in May.
You can read the full piece HERE.
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