NASA HQ verbally orders employees to purge workspaces of LGBTQI+ symbols – Space.com
“This is a ridiculous overstep and direct assault on NASA HQ employees’ free speech and humanity.”
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Editor’s note: This story was updated to include a Feb. 11 statement from NASA.That crystal charm you have hanging on your office window — the one that disperses sunlight to cast little rainbows across your wall — might catch some side-eye if it were found at NASA’s headquarters in Washington D.C., according to a NASA watchdog report. In fact, it might not be a good idea to bring rainbow paraphernalia or any LGBTQI+ Pride displays to the building.Employees at NASA headquarters have allegedly been barred from displaying Pride symbols on their person or in their workspaces, the NASA Watch report says. The news comes as a slew of Executive orders signed by U.S. President Donald Trump continues to force policy changes at NASA and other federal agencies, targeting diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives.In recent weeks, NASA employees across the country received emails announcing an end to the agency’s DEIA offices as well as directives to adhere to new guidelines penned by the Trump administration. The new regulation regarding Pride symbols was only communicated verbally, according to the NASA Watch report, and threatened violators with administrative leave. In a statement to Space.com, NASA denied the allegations and clarified, “there are no penalties or warnings about being placed on administrative leave for displaying personal items.”This article has been updated to include a statement provided by NASA after publication.“There are no new bans on any personal affects in employees’ workspaces. As always, the items must adhere to legal, safety, and NASA rules and guidelines,” NASA said, adding that, “some managers have been reminding employees to be mindful of what personal affects they have in their workspaces.”Before NASA issued its response, ranking U.S. House Space and Aeronautics Committee members Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Valerie Foushee (D-NC), in a joint statement, called the move “a ridiculous overstep.”“This is a ridiculous overstep and direct assault on NASA HQ employees’ free speech and humanity,” they said, asserting, “this government-sanctioned censorship is the latest assault on the rights of federal employees and should not stand.”Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Lofgren and Foushee directed their blame toward President Trump and SpaceX CEO and advisor to the President, Elon Musk, saying the duo’s prejudice and homophobia are “rapidly seeping into Washington.” Concurrently, NASA websites previously containing any information about diversity, women in STEM and leadership roles, as well as employee resource pages to get involved with organizations, such as NASA’s Rainbow Alliance Advisory Group (RAAG), have all been wiped from the internet.In a June 7 Instagram post from Cleveland, Ohio’s 2024 Pride parade, the official account for NASA Glenn described RAAG as “an employee resource group that supports and advocates for the LGBTQI+ community and helps cultivate an inclusive environment at NASA.” This post and the NASA RAAG webpage have both since been deleted.— Trump orders interim NASA chief to end DEI initiatives— Who is Janet Petro, Trump’s pick for acting NASA administrator?— Scientists alarmed as Rubin Observatory changes biography of astronomer Vera Rubin amid Trump’s push to end DEI effortsThe changes across the agency are sweeping. They span the array of removing things like lengthy employee profile pieces that highlighted diversity at NASA, to barring the use of employees’ preferred pronouns and informing employees the agency could “automatically remove pronouns from everyone’s [email] signature,” one NASA employee told Space.com.Editor’s note: This is a developing story that was updated on Feb. 12 to reflect a statement provided by NASA on Feb. 11.Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.Josh Dinner is Space.com’s Content Manager. He is a writer and photographer with a passion for science and space exploration, and has been working the space beat since 2016. Josh has covered the evolution of NASA’s commercial spaceflight partnerships, from early Dragon and Cygnus cargo missions to the ongoing development and launches of crewed missions from the Space Coast, as well as NASA science missions and more. He also enjoys building 1:144 scale models of rockets and human-flown spacecraft. Find some of Josh’s launch photography on Instagram and his website, and follow him on Twitter, where he mostly posts in haiku.SpaceX rocket launch spawns dazzling ‘space jellyfish’ in evening sky (photos)NASA moves up return date for Boeing Starliner astronauts after swapping SpaceX Dragon spacecraftWin a chance to see a SpaceX rocket launch thanks to Bethesda, creators of ‘Starfield’
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