In the wake of Eric Francis’ removal from the pages of Chronogram magazine and the airwaves at Radio Kingston, the veteran astrologer and investigative reporter claimed that his “deplatforming” was “political payback” for writing skeptically about the #metoo movement. In fact, a group of women did come together following publication of the piece, and their allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior led to Francis’ dismissal from both. But allegations of Francis treatment of women were already circulating before the “Take a Step Back” was published.

The story of Eric Francis’ downfall is a story of #metoo and the “deplatforming” movement — where activists target those whose views or actions they oppose by putting pressure on the media outlets and institutions that give them platforms to take those platforms away — played out against the backdrop of Kingston’s insular Uptown arts and media social scene, and the cosmic universe of astrology.