Ask Erica Lukes — Women in Ufology

[Gene Steinberg]

A very heavy portion of our listenership is male. A heavy portion of those involved in the UFO field are also male.

That's gotta change.

On Thursday January 5 at 11:30 AM, we'll be talking to Erica Lukes, who is making a return visit to The Paracast. We'll definitely cover some of the recent pressing issues in which Erica played a part.

Here's her bio:

Erica Lukes’ passion for the subject of Unidentified Flying Objects dates back to her early childhood. After a series of personal UFO sightings in 2013, however, Erica felt compelled to find out what was taking place in her home state of Utah. She is currently researching historical and current sightings in Utah and is the Communications Director International Association of UAP Researchers. Erica hosts a weekly show on KCOR called UFO Classified.

Erica volunteered as a Field Investigator and State Director for Utah MUFON. She also dedicated her time an Associate Producer for the MUFON Communications Team. Erica’s efforts led her to being officially recognized at the 2014 and 2015 MUFON Symposium for her work with MUFON HQ.

As her busy schedule increased, Erica chose to resign her post as MUFON State Director. Today, she is the head of UNEXPLANED UTAH , an organization which is focused upon scientifically researching UAP – otherwise known as Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.

 

[Randall]

Question: Politics aside, can you provide a couple of examples where either men or women, because of their gender, can be presumed to have an advantage over the other during investigations?
Question: What about in other ways besides investigations e.g. research, presentation, ufology arts & culture ?

 

[mike]

Do you still stand by the assertion that Harold Povenmire is correct in his claim that this photo,

Is genuine and not fake.

 

[ALPHA ROMEO UNIFORM]

Q.1 What makes you think the so called Aliens (?) have visited Earth and your thoughts on making contact in the near future
If we find ET, don't talk to it, says the man who wants to find ET

 

[Greers Meeting Planner]

Q: Is it patronising that we are talking about 'women if ufology'? Surely we should be using your time to ask you about the phenomenon and trying to learn something about the cases?

By using her time to talk about gender balance in the field aren't we just reinforcing the stupid notion that it actually matters what gender she is. Can't we give her the same grace that we give other guests to use her time to educate us on the paranormal and impart her knowledge.

On a personal note I'd like to tune in and learn something about the nature of the UFO phenomenon, if I want an hour or so on equality I can put on CNN or BBC

 

[Greers Meeting Planner]

A very heavy portion of our listenership is male. A heavy portion of those involved in the UFO field are also male.

That's gotta change.

On Thursday January 5 at 11:30 AM, we'll be talking to Erica Lukes, who is making a return visit to The Paracast. We'll definitely cover some of the recent pressing issues in which Erica played a part.

Here's her bio:

Erica Lukes’ passion for the subject of Unidentified Flying Objects dates back to her early childhood. After a series of personal UFO sightings in 2013, however, Erica felt compelled to find out what was taking place in her home state of Utah. She is currently researching historical and current sightings in Utah and is the Communications Director International Association of UAP Researchers. Erica hosts a weekly show on KCOR called UFO Classified.

Erica volunteered as a Field Investigator and State Director for Utah MUFON. She also dedicated her time an Associate Producer for the MUFON Communications Team. Erica’s efforts led her to being officially recognized at the 2014 and 2015 MUFON Symposium for her work with MUFON HQ.

As her busy schedule increased, Erica chose to resign her post as MUFON State Director. Today, she is the head of UNEXPLANED UTAH , an organization which is focused upon scientifically researching UAP – otherwise known as Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.

Why has the % of men got to change?

What's so wrong with men that we have to reduce their % ?

 

[SRL+]

Viewed by many as primarily an entertainer/performer, does your guest care if she is believable, or, does she opt to disregard the critical lenses in presenting narratives that may advance her career?

As women in Ufology go, what is your guest’s impression of Linda Moulton Howe?

Why is your guest so adamant with respect to anonymity?

 

[marduk]

Why has the % of men got to change?

What's so wrong with men that we have to reduce their % ?

I think what he meant was to increase the numbers of women in the field, which would consequently increase both the % of women in the field and the number of people in the field in total.

Which as a by product would reduce the % of men but not the raw number of men.

And I suspect you knew that.

 

[marduk]

From her bio:

Erica is the team-leader on a research program called “Project Orange.” This project is specifically dedicated to studying sightings and clusters of orange/red orbs (which are also known as fireballs). On this particular project, she works with several MUFON Field Investigators: Robert Spearing, Terry Ray and Geoff Cox. Their protocols and findings are now an integral part of MUFON Education, an accomplishment they are all extremely proud of.

Why the interest in this specific morphology of sightings, especially given the high possibility of misidentification with relatively prosaic things like ball lightning?

Erica was the lead investigator on the American Airlines 434 case over Nephi, Utah. This case was on MUFON's top 10 cases of the year and received international attention because of the gravity of radar and audio data obtained from the FAA.

This case was actually unknown to me until now -- could she go into details about it and why it was an important case?

Both Utah’s famous Skinwalker Ranch and its surrounding areas have held a strong, and lasting, interest for Erica. She has collected decades’ worth of case reports from this area, and particularly so with regards to mass sightings of UFOs, as well as mysterious mutilations of animals, and alien abductions.

I'm very interested in stories about this ranch as I find it fascinating. Anything new to tell here?

 

[CuCullen]

Erica,

Do you really feel UFO research needs another pay-to-play organization like the IAUAPR (International Association of U.A.P. Researchers)? What new service does an IAUAPR provide that is not already provided by MUFON, CUFOS, NARCAP, or the Society for Scientific Exploration (which already has a peer reviewed journal, the JSE)?

Also, a recent radio interview has you alleging sexism and possible abuse by a higher-up in the UFO community, and at the often lambasted UFO conferences (https://inceptionradionetwork.com/erica-lukes-ufo-classified/).
Taken as a whole, what is the actual value of such conferences, given the nature of most of these cons as nothing more than an annual trot-out of the same-old UFO Circus (and probable meat-market)?

 

[SRL+]

I would like to follow-up with asking what the average age of attendees are at these alleged markets of meatiness.

 

[Paul Kimball]

I would like to follow-up with asking what the average age of attendees are at these alleged markets of meatiness.

I was almost always the youngest guy in the room when I used to go, and at the time I was in my late thirties / early forties. Having just turned 50, I suspect UFO conferences are still the best place for me to feel young by comparison to everyone else.

 

[Mr. Fibuli]

This isnt a question-
I heard Lukes' c2c interview and I wasn't totally impressed. She seems like a nice enough person...but Noory seems like a nice enough person too. She referred to herself as 'attractive' or said 'anyone reasonably attractive' about herself regarding her harassment. Seemed weird..attractiveness is subjective. Aesthetics?
Gene was right on with that Carrie Fisher quote..gender and expression of gender is a personal affect (not to be confused with sex i.e. male, female, intersex).

 

[Azz7092]

Not being funny here but, no one is stopping women from doing what they want ..... right ? I'm sure that gender has not been an issue in this subject, not that I'm aware of anyway?.
I think we have enough trouble getting theses sort of subjects taken seriously without questioning ourselves on wether we have "equal opportunities".
i think everyone should be welcomed in this field the more the merrier !

 

[Ron Away]

As Paul Kimball has alluded to.I think the real issue is getting younger people of both sexes involved.It would seem that the vast majority of those involved are middle aged and older men.I would suggest that this group may have an old fashioned attitude towards women that may be seen as condescending or chauvinistic.This would hopefully lessen as the old guard leave the scene.

 

[SRL+]

I was almost always the youngest guy in the room when I used to go, and at the time I was in my late thirties / early forties. Having just turned 50, I suspect UFO conferences are still the best place for me to feel young by comparison to everyone else.

FWIW:

My one & only foray into any type of Ufological gathering occurred at a MUFON meeting where Chris had scheduled to present. As fate were to have its way, the airliner that Mr. O’Brien was on experienced mechanical failure. Having boarded another flight he then discovered his winged replacement also suffered from mechanical gremlins, so his night of presenting @ the Mission Theater was for not. However, I did meet a friendly MUFON attendee in the parking lot who was seemingly in his mid-sixties, along with some gatherers inside of the theater with ages ranging in the upper thirties and beyond.

 

[marduk]

I was almost always the youngest guy in the room when I used to go, and at the time I was in my late thirties / early forties. Having just turned 50, I suspect UFO conferences are still the best place for me to feel young by comparison to everyone else.

Because they simply don't work anymore. They are an old model, like terrestrial radio and cable TV.

It will be an ever-narrowing focus, until it narrows to zero.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

I kind of agree with you about terrestrial radio, even though we are on terrestrial radio.

As to cable TV, well it's still there, but the delivery systems are changing. There are online streaming services offering a small portion of traditional cable or satellite content. But the networks are the same. Yes, we have Amazon Instant Video and Netflix, but most of their content consists of repeats. There is only a small amount of new content. I say that just having binged on "Luke Cage" and "Longmire," when the TV networks had their winter finales and went to repeat mode or junk holiday shows.

 

[Paul Kimball]

Not being funny here but, no one is stopping women from doing what they want ..... right ? I'm sure that gender has not been an issue in this subject, not that I'm aware of anyway?.
I think we have enough trouble getting theses sort of subjects taken seriously without questioning ourselves on wether we have "equal opportunities".
i think everyone should be welcomed in this field the more the merrier !

Yes, in an ideal world that would be true. But it's not an ideal world. For example, I recently took a look at the companies that received government funding in the film industry here in Nova Scotia over the past year and a half. Of the $17 million, over 75% went to companies controlled solely by men; 0.13% went to companies controlled solely by women. If a person ignore numbers like that, which are prevalent still throughout society (although not in that stark a relief), then they're part of the problem, not the solution. In ufology, I've been to more than a few conferences, and I've seen how women are often treated, including watching name ufologists spend more time propositioning them than discussing the difference between the ETH and the EDH. It's still an old boys club, and I for one think that's a problem, because that kind of atmosphere (often bordering on outright sexism) discourages women from getting involved. That doesn't mean I think much of Erica Lukes (her involvement in the Koi mess was appalling), but on this one issue she raises a valid point, even if she's an imperfect messenger.

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

FWIW:

My one & only foray into any type of Ufological gathering occurred at a MUFON meeting where Chris had scheduled to present. As fate were to have its way, the airliner that Mr. O’Brien was on experienced mechanical failure. Having boarded another flight he then discovered his winged replacement also suffered from mechanical gremlins, so his night of presenting @ the Mission Theater was for not...

First and only time this has ever happened to me. We aborted our take-off, 2X... I got off.