Did This Really Happen?!: Creating Comics as a Resource for a More Inclusive Scientific Community

The “Did This Really Happen?!” project has been providing a safe space since 2016 for the submission of anonymised testimonies of real lived experiences of everyday sexism in scientific environments, including sexist biases and a range of micro and macro aggressions. These are, in turn, converted into comic strips by the DTRH team, as a way to increase awareness of these experiences and counter these behaviors.

It is apparent that, despite quotas, increased advocacy and movements like Me Too and Time’s Up, sexism in both science and the wider world is as prevalent as ever. Is this due to the expectation that as women and minorities are more common in the workplace, the fight for equality and inclusivity is seen to be “won” or the greater recognition of sexist behaviors and microaggressions? Or is it the rise of “incels” and the encouragement of “masculinity influencers” who subscribe to a brand of extreme misogyny? Whatever the root cause, how can we change things?

Since the project’s inception, we have received over 175 testimonies which have been turned into more than 60 comics, and counting! Topics have ranged from treating women as objects to questioning female competencies and confining males to stereotypical roles (Bocher et al., 2020). These have been disseminated not only by the project, but by members of the community who have used them to start conversations and challenge discrimination. In this presentation we explore how and where the comics the DTRH project has created were used, and their impact. We aim to understand the benefit of creating an open access resource, from the community, for the community. In addition, we will share our plans to continue and expand the DTRH project, with help from the IGNITE+ network.