Kimberly Theidon has sued her former employer, Harvard University, for ending her tenure allegedly due to her advocacy for sexual assault survivors on campus.

According to the Huffington Post, the former associate professor of social sciences also accused Harvard of notifying her of her termination after she privately complained of male faculty members tending to earn more than females at the school.

Theidon said in her lawsuit she would sometimes advise students at Harvard who were victims of sexual assault. Before her tenure was denied May 28, 2013, she said an administrator indicated her advocacy would be a factor in the impending decision. Harvard later told her she would be fired at the end of June, 2014.

"Dr. Theidon's central claims that inappropriate judgments affected her tenure decision continue to be flatly wrong," a Harvard spokeswoman told the HP. "There is no merit whatsoever to her allegations of discrimination or retaliation. Any advocacy on Dr. Theidon's part on behalf of victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault at Harvard was not known, let alone considered, as part of the University's decision on her tenure case. Moreover, such advocacy would never adversely affect a tenure decision at Harvard."

Harvard is under federal investigation for alleged Title IX violations in relation to mishandled rape and sexual assault complaints. She told the HP last year she was essentially told to stop her "political activity" in order to contune working at the Ivy League institution.

"I was told on multiple occasions to be a 'dutiful daughter' if I wanted to make it in the ranks at Harvard," she said last April. "By all means, look the other way - isn't that what the 'dutiful daughter' does? That was not an acceptable option for me... I was never willing to check my conscience when I walked through the gates and into Harvard Yard."

Philip Gordon, an attorney representing Theidon in her suit against Harvard, said the case is about bringing awareness to campus sexual assault, but also for letting victims know they can trust their professors and administrators.

"We want universities, as well as Harvard, to know that this is a serious issue," he told the HP. "And we want professors and other individuals who serve as the front line for students who have been suffering - we want them to know that they are safe, that they can have a conscience and a career, and you can help students and you can be protected."

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