Neil deGrasse Tyson denies sexual misconduct allegations

Science entertainer Neil deGrasse Tyson on Saturday posted a lengthy statement on Facebook denying a trio of sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him. He decried presumption of guilt in #MeToo accusations, pledged to cooperate with an impartial investigation, and offered a competing account of each scenario.

"I’m the accused, so why believe anything I say? Why believe me at all?" Tyson concluded. "That brings us back to the value of an independent investigation."

One accuser says Tyson groped her at a professional event; another says he exhibited a pattern of "predatory tendencies" when they worked together; and a third alleges he drugged and raped her when they were both grad students in 1984.

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"My experience with [Tyson] is he's not someone who has great respect for female bodily autonomy," said Dr. Katelyn N. Allers, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at Bucknell University and the accuser who says Tyson groped her. "I think that he is someone that could use his position of fame and power in a way to try and take advantage."

The allegations are under investigation by Fox Entertainment and National Geographic, which air Tyson's show. Read Tyson's full Facebook statement here, and read the original allegations reports at Patheos here and here.