Unity in Orbit
Gay Americans were persecuted throughout the s, the decade when astronauts first flew. Coincidentally, it was the summer of , when NASA triumphed with its Apollo 11 moon landing, that the Stonewall riots in New York began an assertive time of grassroots protest and demand for equal rights for gay and trans Americans. After reviewing the NASA and United States National Archives, the photographer found no documentation on the contributions of the queer community to the space program. This conspicuous absence inspired her to create The Gay Space Agency, a diverse, inclusive fictional institution that paradoxically commemorates and celebrates the very real history of queer astronauts. 
Photographer redefines NASA’s history with The Gay Space
Three hundred and thirty American men and women have served as astronauts since the start of NASA's human spaceflight program. Only one is publicly known to have been gay or bisexual — Sally. From the very beginning, human spaceflight has been about firsts as much as technology. Sending the first person into space, carrying out the first spacewalk, being the first to reach the moon, and the first to land on the moon — these were headline-grabbing moments that elevated the prestige of the country responsible.
1970s in LGBTQ rights
James Pollack, Planetary Astrophysicist and Space Scientist Dr. James Pollack was a gay 20th century NASA researcher, who established himself as a prominent figure in atmospheric science. Pollack obtained his PhD in Astronomy from Harvard in , where he was the first graduate student of astronomer and science popularizer Carl Sagan. A staged recreation of the original Mercury Seven astronaut group photo from In this version, the astronauts are portrayed by seven queer people and the image overlaid on a NASA photo from the Apollo 11 ticker tape parade in New York City on August 13, Celebrating Pride Month
Fictional astronaut with the Gay Space Agency after landing on the The image is mirrored and warped to evoke the Rorschach inkblot test, the second heterosexuality tests that NASA astronauts in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs were required to take. Three hundred and thirty American men and women have served as astronauts since the start of NASA's human spaceflight program. Only one is publicly known to have been gay or bisexual — Sally Ride — and she kept it private until her death, yesterday July 23 , when her obituary on the Sally Ride Science organization's website stated that Ride was survived by Tam O'Shaughnessy, her "partner of 27 years. Why Aren't There Any Openly Gay Astronauts?
Today, NASA is joined by privately owned, billionaire-backed organizations in their exploration of the final frontier. As we revisit the possibilities of human expansion and future colonization, The Gay Space Agency asks what it means to have the "right stuff.". . 
Gay Astronauts
A powerful symbol of pride waved high above Earth aboard the International Space Station in December , reflecting NASA’s commitment to a collaborative and inclusive environment in human spaceflight. The Pride flag was unveiled by NASA astronauts to celebrate our identities and unite in our commitment to equality and acceptance for all individuals. At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in. .
The Gay Space Agency
The Gay Pride Flag, symbol of the Rights Movement, was first flown in in San Francisco. This is the version flying over the Castro in June Private, consensual same-sex activity was decriminalized in England and Wales in [1] Most same-sex activity was legalized in Canada in [2] The Stonewall riots, which occurred in New York City in June , are generally considered to. . 
The Gay Space Agency
This project combines fiction with fact in order to confront the American space program’s historical exclusion of openly LGBTQI+ astronauts. After reviewing the NASA and United States National Archives, the photographer found no documentation on the contributions of the queer community to the space program. This conspicuous absence inspired her to create The Gay Space Agency, a diverse. .