For sometime now there have been whispers that it’s an open secret at Harvard that she has a female “lifetime” partner. And that she has hidden her private life because she wouldn’t be advanced if it was generally known. You might want to read some of the threads here on FR.
I’ve no doubt such whispers have followed her wherever she’s gone, throughout her life... I mean, look at her!
I think it’s natural to make these assumptions, I just think people should be aware of the assumptions they’re making, and the premises on which they base them—such as “ugly unmarried woman = lesbian”—which may or may not be valid.
My objection was to his assertion that she’s getting sympathy for being a woman, when everything I see suggests the opposite.