Renowned forensic psychiatrist Dr. Bandy Lee is suing Yale University after they terminated her employment, following a complaint by Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz over one of her tweets from last year. The tweet said Trump supporters suffered from a “shared psychosis,” and suggested Dershowitz had “wholly taken on Trump’s symptoms by contagion.” Yale University said Dr. Lee violated the American Psychiatric Association’s Goldwater Rule, which says it’s unethical to comment on a public figure’s mental faculties without medical examination. Many psychiatrists, including Lee, have likened the rule to a gag order. Dr. Lee has frequently spoken out against Donald Trump’s mental health, citing her civic duty to warn the public of potential dangers. She spoke to Democracy Now! about her lawsuit against Yale.
Dr. Bandy Lee: “Yale dismissed me after 17 years. I filed a lawsuit with a heavy heart against my alma mater, because this is a matter of academic freedom and freedom of speech, which is our protection against authoritarianism and dangerous leadership.”
Top