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Would you proudly don a rainbow lanyard in your office? Perhaps you already use a PRIDE-themed background when joining a video call with a colleague?
Well, if your place of work is NASA, such behavior could now apparently lead to you being placed on administrative leave.
That’s after space administration employees were verbally told by bosses that LGBTQ+ symbols are no longer allowed in the agency’s offices, according to an insider report.
NASA bosses order purge of LGBTQ+ insignia, report claims
The alleged directive was first reported by NASAWatch, an outlet founded by former agency staffer Keith Cowing, that has published news about NASA since 1996.
According to Cowing’s report, citing individuals familiar with the matter, PRIDE and other LGBTQ+ symbols such as rainbow flags are now no longer permitted within the walls of NASA HQ.
“Sources at NASA Headquarters report that pride symbols are no longer allowed. Employees cannot have pride flags, lapel pins, badge lanyard, TEAMS backgrounds, clothing, laptop stickers – or anything related to pride in their offices,” the report claims.
NASA, like many other federal agencies, has already introduced a slew of changes to its diversity practices after executive orders issued by President Trump that mandated the dismantling of DEI departments and programs.
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Many of those policies were put into writing, including emails that informed NASA staff of the forthcoming closure of its offices responsible for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives.
NASA employees were also told last week to remove all pronouns from email signatures and other documentation after Trump ordered federal agencies to “end the Federal funding of gender ideology."
All references to NASA’s ‘Rainbow Alliance Advisory Group,’ an LGBTQ+ employee resource group for agency employees, have been removed from its website.
However, NASAWatch reported that the latest reported order has not been delivered in writing, and instead has been issued verbally, with space administration workers allegedly told that “the penalty for violating this guidance can result in being put on administrative leave.”
Reports of NASA LGBTQ+ paraphernalia purge spark free speech debate
News of the reported policy has sparked a backlash from some circles who argue such an order is an act of censorship against employees.
Democratic representatives Susan Lofgren (California) and Valerie Foushee (North Carolina) have released a statement on the matter.
“This is a ridiculous overstep and direct assault on NASA HQ employees' free speech and humanity,” they wrote, accusing President Trump and Elon Musk, co-chair of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, of homophobia.
Their statement criticized the apparent move to purge LGBTQ+ symbols “without an official paper trail.”
“This government-sanctioned censorship is the latest assault on the rights of federal employees and should not stand,” their statement concluded.
Although yet to be verified in writing, the alleged policy will fuel the continued debate surrounding employee expression and free speech in the workplace—namely, whether such orders that ban workers from identifying themselves as members of the LGBTQ+ community or from declaring their preferred pronouns are permissible or instead infringe on an employee's freedom of speech.
