The U. S. Space &, Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama is the home of Space Camp, a system where kids of all ages can discover what it is to be portion of a space mission. It is a six- morning, five- evening, one- of- a- type encounter for these campers. Looking over the Space Camp homepage, it looks like it is already booked out for weeks, at$ 1, 699 per person for the 9- 11 years party.
The controversy that is currently roiling Space Camp is what you wo n’t see on the website. Clay Yarbrough, the family of an 11- yr- older, learned that one of the staff of Space Camp is a trans person. Of course, Yarbrough did n’t quite explain it that way.
Yarbrough posted his second Facebook article on March 9th.
” I just need everyone to see this and know whats ( sic ) going on at space camp at US Space and Rocket Center”, wrote Yarbrough. My daughter planned to attend space camp next week, but we just learned that this freak is a team leader and a hall monitor in the girls ‘ ( sic ) dorms and could occasionally be allowed to be by herself in the halls at night. They permit this man who purports to be a girl. I want it to spread, so I do n’t want to put too much on here. If you need more information, only read all the remarks below. Additionally, I immediately spoke with the VP/Director of Space Camp to confirm that this was accurate.
The transgender woman in question was then identified as Yarbrough, who later posted five photos from various social media accounts. I’ll decline to name the individual because Yarbrough’s director of Space Camp has not yet given them a direct name.
A trans woman’s LinkedIn page, which lists her as a staff consultant, a picture from a Facebook page with a pre-transition photo from 2015, a transgender flag with a devilish overlay, a clip from an net wish list for the creative novel” Something is Killing the Children” by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera, and more.
Although I ca n’t help but assume Yarbrough sees that in a different way, the graphic novel is about someone trying to find the monster that is attacking children.
Yarbrough’s claims were picked up by famous correct- wing propaganda Libs of TikTok and, from it, spread through traditional circles. In the wake of this, U. S. Senator Tommy Tuberville ( R- Alabama ), as well as Alabama Republican Congressmembers Dale Strong, Gary Palmer, and Robert Aderholt, spoke out against the employee and her employer.
In a letter to the transgender employee, Strong called for the termination of the employee, saying,” I call on the Center to immediately remove this individual and launch a safety review to take into account the potential harm and damages they have inadvertently caused children.”
I think it is important to take note of several things here. All Space Camp employees must pass a thorough background check, use different restrooms from students, and be not allowed to be with campers alone or behind closed doors. This is in addition to the fact that I, too, was briefly a teachers ‘ aide after transition. Everything is under surveillance, too.
The most crucial fact that I want to make is that this trans woman has done nothing wrong. This controversy stems solely from her employment at Space Camp, and not because she violated any laws.
I want to go back to Yarbrough’s words. He became aware that there was a transgender person on staff, supposedly, because he “heard that one little girl had called her parents and said this guy is in the ( dorm ) room and ‘ I do n’t feel comfortable.'”
We have seen a rise in anti-transgender animus over the past few years, from the right-wing rants on Fox News and other outlets to the plethora of anti-transgender bills in statehouses across the nation. It is nearly impossible to get away from it, and I can assure you that there are times I’ve tried.
All of this hatred, all of these lies and half- truths, and all this fearmongering has led us to where we are today. where an employee of a program can find that her livelihood is in jeopardy solely due to who she is.
This is not just another side effect of all their hatred; it is the whole point, I must add. The intention is to force transgender people out of mainstream society, revoke our legal rights, stifle our ability to work, and lead a happy, healthy life. A worker who is simply threatened by Congressmembers for having a job is in a position with such a terrible mandate.
I thought we covered this in 1978, with the failure of the Briggs initiative in California, which would have banned gays and lesbians from teaching in public schools, or in 2020, when the U. S. Supreme Court, in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, found that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ employees from discrimination. We appear to be destined to repeat this over and over again.
Transgender people are entitled to exist and to have the unalienable rights of all of their fellow citizens, that you cannot ignore or reject. We deserve fairness, justice, and all of the guarantees of the law.
That’s the truth both here in the United States — and out in space.
Gwen Smith says” Ad Astra” per Aspera. You’ll find her at www. gwenmith.com
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