Megaphone :verified:<a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/ScienceUnderSiege?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ScienceUnderSiege</a>: The Orlando Research Conference Fallout<br>
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Something alarming is happening in the <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/ScientificCommunity?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ScientificCommunity</a>, and it’s not getting the attention it deserves. A recent <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/NIH?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NIH</a>-backed <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/neuroscience?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#neuroscience</a> conference in <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/Orlando?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Orlando</a> turned into a disaster. Research sessions were canceled after being mistaken for “<a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/DEI?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DEI</a>” initiatives, and funding was pulled.<br>
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One session on the diversity of afferent firing in the cochlea (how nerve cells transmit sound) was targeted because people saw the word “<a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/diversity?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#diversity</a>” and assumed it was political. <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/MAGA?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MAGA</a> hat-wearing attendees reportedly vandalized posters.<br>
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The nescient reaction of the MAGA hat-wearing attendees to the word “diversity”—mistaking a scientific discussion on neural firing patterns in the cochlea for a political agenda—exemplifies a dangerous blend of <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/ignorance?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ignorance</a> and ideological rigidity. Their inability to differentiate between linguistic context and <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/partisan?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#partisan</a> buzzwords not only disrupted legitimate research but also underscored the broader issue of anti-intellectualism undermining scientific progress.<br>
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Worse, researchers discovered their already earned funding was revoked, postdoc opportunities disappeared, and the conference felt like a <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/funeral?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#funeral</a> for the field as careers crumbled in real time.<br>
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Meanwhile, the NIH was banned from attending due to a new administration-imposed blackout on communications and travel, delaying critical <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/research?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#research</a> on <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/Cancer?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Cancer</a>, <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/HeartDisease?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HeartDisease</a>, and <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/Diabetes?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Diabetes</a>.<br>
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<a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/Science?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Science</a> depends on open inquiry—but now, <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/political?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#political</a> interference is gutting <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/research?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#research</a>. This isn’t just about one conference. It’s a direct attack on scientific progress. If we don’t stand up now, what’s next?<br>
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🔬 Science must remain free from political control.<br>
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<a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/ScienceUnderAttack?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ScienceUnderAttack</a> <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/ResearchMatters?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ResearchMatters</a> <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/SaveScience?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SaveScience</a> <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/FreedomOfInquiry?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FreedomOfInquiry</a> <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/ScienceNotPolitics?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ScienceNotPolitics</a> <a href="https://lgbt.earth/discover/tags/AcademicFreedom?src=hash" class="u-url hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AcademicFreedom</a>