Originally Posted by
Ichifails
Sir Tim Hunt, who won the Nobel Prize for breakthroughs in cancer research, was asked to resign from several academic posts after giving a toast to women scientists and journalists in which he was reported as saying: "Three things happen when [women] are in the lab ... You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry."
Later accounts said that he went on to praise the role of women in science.
After he resigned from his honorary professorship, eight Nobel laureates and dozens of honorary fellows lined up to criticise UCL. Many believed that Sir Tim was sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.
The unnamed friend said Sir Tim was still upset by the false accusations of sexism, adding: "It's very sad, it's quite clear it's based on their exhaustion. They have been up and down, even quite recently. They have been emotionally affected by it. They have had a lot of criticism, he's had invitations to talk at conferences withdrawn on the grounds he's not a suitable person, or if he appeared it might produce a reaction, backlash or protest."