Hidden Figures: The Villain Arc

“Well I hear my train a comin

Hear my train a comin

Ayeah

Well, I wait around the train station

Waiting for that train

Take me take me

Take me away

From this lonesome town

Lonesome town

Too bad you don’t love me no more, girl

Too bad your people put me down

Tears burning me

Tears burning me in my eyes

Way down in my soul

Tears burning me way down in my heart

Too bad you don’t love me no more, girl

Too bad you and me had to part (had to part)

Well I hear my train a comin

Hear my train a comin

Well I hear my train a comin

Hear my train a comin”

-Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin’¹

I am no longer a part of Climbers of Color. Nor can I recommend any of their activities or anyone directly involved with them in good conscience.

I bet you all thought my last piece Hidden Figures in POC Spaces: The Follow Up would be my last work on the issues Climbers of Color (CoC) was having in leadership, namely surrounding Don Nguyen and myself. Well, buckle up because things actually got exponentially worse. And I am here to tell the tale so that other organizations may learn from our blunders. And in the end I left.

Before reading this article/listening to this podcast, I would suggest starting here with Hidden Figures in POC Spaces and ending with The Follow Up.

I want to make it clear that I am attempting to share this in an educational light. Many affinity organizations that sprouted up in 2020 and before may be going through similar pains due to growth and longevity of operation. And I am sad to say that CoC was not immune to pitfalls like dictatorial leadership or any other isms of which plague our society at present (racism, ableism, misogyny, etc).

The other reason I am sharing this is because I want people (specifically super marginalized demographics such as Black people, women/femmes, trans people, etc) to truly scrutinize whether or not you are actually being valued by the organizations you interface with. Because if they don’t: I advise leaving. Leave. Just do it. Hear me when I say you are strong enough on your own. You are smart enough: follow your vision and be uncompromising. You will find a way to make a difference without sacrificing yourself.

The events that ensued I would classify as trying to all involved. As the story developed, Don and I started on our own separate paths of a villain arc. But in different ways. There are 2 types of villain arcs: 1. One defines your intentional decision to prioritize yourself, your needs and wants over the priorities of others. 2. The movement of a character from a neutral or positive role to a more antagonistic or morally ambiguous stance.

My villain arc was that of #1: choosing myself. A lot of people pleasers such as myself will let boundaries be crossed and excuse inappropriate behavior so standing up for myself could feel like I am the villain in the story. But it is me rooting strong in my boundaries and not letting people disrespect me². For Don it meant engaging in “A series of events [that] question the character’s ethics, beliefs, and ambitions, resulting in a substantial change in their conduct and role in the tale.” While “the character obtains or seeks more control or influence, often through dubious means³.” His grab at power was violent and disturbing, as you will see later.

After the mass departure of board members due to Don’s behavior, a number of volunteers scrutinized the situation and called for his resignation. They put out a number of communications that were very poignant. I was not directly involved in this group but I am extremely grateful for them lifting up their voices and being an advocate for justice. Thank you all.

In an effort to present these events in a cohesive manner, there are 4 parts to this:

A timeline of events released by the volunteer uprising that ensued
The board approved policy document that was derailed due to toxic behavior
The same timeline in a social media format
The social media format with my input surrounding them from my social media re-posts

All this information will not be in the form of a podcast. There is a lot of information and I invite you to sift through it. The only other addition I would like to make is that a former leadership member came forward and expressed to me that when they heard about what happened it was uncanny with how this person was treated in exactly the same abusive and extractive manner which resulted in them leaving. This person is not a cis gender male. And in the end they were written out of CoC history so well that I had no idea they even existed.

And that’s what users do. They use and then agitate until the person gets fed up and leaves. It’s a pattern: a painful pattern leaving women, femmes, and non-binary people in the wake of their destruction. Extracting talent and capitalizing on the hard work of others and eventually reaping the fruits of others labor. Preying on the goodwill of others willing to do the work.

Am I claiming no work was done by Don? No: but I am claiming that he did not perform his job duties. It got so bad that in the fall of 2023 there was a meeting of board members called by another board member without him discussing whether or not to attempt to fire him from his position. I did not call this meeting but I was privy to it. And I agreed: he had not done any real work in a long time. He always has a woman, non binary, or disabled person doing all the back work while he reaps the rewards: he is on his third person now. It’s hard to say but it’s the truth. A truth a number of us have felt and witnessed.

*Content warning: sexual harassment* If you would like to skip this, scroll down to the next red words.

I think truthfully I had a target on my back for a long time. A few years ago there was a social media post released by an affinity group called Earthtone Outside based in Montana claiming one of their founders, Vasu Sojitra, was asked to leave the group due to sexual harassment. The intention of the post seemed to be in an informational way and in no way to slander the person accused. It was taken down within a few days for unknown reasons. But within CoC leadership I was very clear: we have to believe victims. At the time, Vasu was inside internal CoC channels, however, he did not perform any work for us. He was there because he was a personal friend of Don and they collaborated on some ice climbing projects and festivals. It was unclear why he was in our volunteer channels considering they were collaborations across organizations.

There was a discussion about whether or not Vasu should remain in our group (brought up by me). Considering he did nothing as a volunteer, it was decided by the board he would be discreetly removed. But it was the first time the board did not vote unanimously on an issue. It was the first time Don was out voted. His conviction to keep someone accused of sexual harassment in an environment that could potentially be a hunting ground for predators was also troubling to me. And to my knowledge no other public allegations of sexual harassment have surfaced publicly…yet.

To me, it makes no sense for an affinity group like Earthtone Outside to ask an accomplished, well connected, and sponsored athlete like Vasu to leave their ranks. He would be nothing but an asset to them. And coming forward admitting to having been harassed is one of the most difficult decisions a person can make. So I personally have a tendency to believe victims when they come forward.

Again, I share this not to slander but to inform. With the recent convictions⁴ of active sexual predators⁵ and the stories of their long careers in doing so, I am doing what others have not: speak about it. What you do with this information, dear reader, is up to you.

*Start from here down to skip sexual harassment content*

Despite this troubling news surrounding Vasu, Don and Vasu are still friends today as well: continuing to collaborate on an ice climbing festival called the Inclusive Outdoor Project⁶ (IOP). This organization puts on an ice climbing festival every year for marginalized demographics. You may also realize upon looking at their website, that there are some familiar faces. To my knowledge, Sophia Bielsky⁷ was one of the creators of the Queer Climbers Coalition: yes the same organization that plagiarised CoC’s mission statement in 2020⁸, who worked closely with the IOP at the time.

So yes: the rift runs long and it runs deep. A divide between morals that ended in my departure from the group. I will have nothing to do with them from here on. I am also saddened to see some people have returned to the organization. I get it: it provides them with some sort of fulfillment in their life. For some it’s loneliness, for others it’s power, and yet for others it’s about stroking their ego to make themselves not feel racist. And to those I say: you don’t need the organization to make a difference. And knowingly engaging with people who have upheld such psychological violence and force to some of the most marginalized demographics we were supposed to be respecting makes you no better than them. I wish you all the best but please stay away from me.

And of course, those returning will undoubtedly use my work, especially the ones I trained/mentored. And that hurts in a way, deep down in my bones I can barely express. Whatever rock program they will slap together starting in 2025 will be a watered down imitation of the work I put in to create and uphold standards for guiding people of color. So don’t be fooled: even if those returning say the right things, their actions to support and interact with such people in leadership capable of elevated psychological violence and disrespect show who they really are. In my opinion based on observation, the returning ones are one of two people: 1. People who need those toxic norms and are drawn to it consciously or subconsciously. Which still makes them an enabler. Or 2. Are enablers who are in it for their own ego stroking and non verbal agreement to upholding toxic norms, whether they know it or not. Especially the norm of taking systems built by a Black woman (me) and being written out of the history but continuing to financially profit off the hard work I put in. Perpetuating the same exploitive system over and over again (read my Deep in the Bones: An Issue of Plagiarism article).

I am both saddened and angered by this. People really need to scrutinize why they feel the need to disregard all the damaging information that came out about the toxic behavior and still feel a need to be a part of the organization. You are so much more than that and I am disappointed in your return.

But in the end I have cut ties with those people and the organization. And please do not update me on their activities as I have spoken my piece about the matter and do not wish to keep tabs on them. In the end, my physical and mental health was in jeopardy so I made this decision after much careful consideration.

I would like to offer, however, that most of the volunteers who left the organization have continued their own people of color climb nights at various local gyms. That is an entire branch of CoC that is lost to the organization: and rightly so. I was so excited to see these ex-volunteers lean into the role of community leaders and gyms having cut ties with the organization to support these leaders. Yes, we still need affinity spaces and I applaud them for their actions and bravery. Unfortunately at this time there is no centralized website showing these various events so you have to either look at each individual gym website or social media to find the information. But thanks to these individuals, they are still running independently. You may see me at some of these gatherings as a participant as I am still seeking connection and community through affinity spaces, which is why I got involved in the first place.

This will likely be the last time I mention the words Climbers of Color again. I do not have the energy nor desire to tackle all the lies that have been spread from their current leadership. And there will be no true educated affinity space in that organization until Don and everyone enabling him steps down from leadership. But I am moving on. Stay tuned for the next article/podcast on what is next for me.

Scroll beyond the works cited to see the timeline and information.

“Jimi Hendrix – Hear My Train A Comin’ (Official Lyric Video)” Youtube, uploaded by Jimi Hendrix, 8 Aug 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX5phFmbrU8
Cleveland Clinic. “How To Make the Most of Your ‘Villain Era’.” https://health.clevelandclinic.org/villain-era 8 Aug 2024
East, Otis. “The Villain Arc Meaning: More Than Just a Story Trope.” https://www.blerd.com/the-villain-arc-meaning-more-than-just-a-story-trope/ 8 Aug 2024
McGivney, Annette. “How Did This Climber Get Away with So Much for So Long?” https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/climber-charles-barrett-assault-trial/ 28 Nov 2024
Mason, Cameron. “How Climbing’s Culture of Blind Trust Led to Sexual Abuse.” https://www.climbing.com/gym-climbing/sexual-assault/ 28 Nov 2024
“Inclusive Outdoors Project.” https://www.inclusiveoutdoorsproject.com/, 9 Dec 2024
“Inclusive Outdoors Project About Us.” https://www.inclusiveoutdoorsproject.com/about-us, 9 Dec 2024
Hudelson, Crystal Rose. “Deep in the Bones: An Issue of Plagiarism.”https://rockrose.blog/2023/08/23/deep-in-my-bones-an-issue-of-plagiarism/, 9 Dec 2024

Click here for document of timeline of events put out by @keep_coc_accountable

(Correction: the PDF is dated 2023, but this proposal was put forward in 2024)

Proposed leadership changes approved by everyone on the board except Don that were never implemented due to his irrational behavior and my announcement of it on Slack:

Driving document mentioned from above:

Timeline in social media format

My comments on social media:

*Note: the REI grant was also heavily focused on my work as a Black person in the space, written by board members who have now quit. Money that is now in the hands of people who could not keep Black people on staff due to mistreatment.