Republican politicians in Alabama expressed outrage about an employee of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville on Monday. What did the employee do wrong? Nothing, as far as anyone can tell. They’re just angry the employee is trans.
A man named Clay Yarbrough from Owens Cross Roads, Alabama was apparently the first person to take issue with the Space Center employee, identified as Molly Bowman in profiles online.
“I just need everyone to see this and know whats going on at space camp at US Space and Rocket Center. My daughter was planning on going to space camp next week but we have just found out that this freak is a team lead and a hall monitor in the girls dorms and at times could be allowed to be alone in the halls at night,” Yarbrough posted on Facebook in a hateful screed dated March 9.
And that Facebook post probably would’ve been the end of it, until it got picked up by Libs of TikTok, an account on X run by a Los Angeles-based woman named Chaya Raichik.
“Many concerned parents are reaching out to us about an alarming situation unfolding at @SpaceCampUSA. Molly Bowman is a man pretending to be a woman who works as a team lead and hall monitor at @SpaceCampUSA for young children,” Raichik wrote on Monday in a tweet that’s racked up over 2 million views.
But there’s nothing from Bowman’s online presence that suggests she’s done anything wrong. That didn’t stop at least three politicians from Alabama weighing in on the existence of the employee, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Rep. Dale W. Strong, and Rep. Robert Aderholt. All of the politicians denouncing the employee are Republicans.
“The U.S. Space and Rocket Center has long been a leader in educating and preparing the next generation of scientists, engineers, and astronauts,” Sen. Tuberville tweeted on Monday. “It is imperative that Space Camp remains a safe place for children and young people. I urge the Space and Rocket Center to ensure that its reputation as a world-renowned camp remains untarnished by the progressive agenda of today.”
While Tuberville seems to take issue with the “progressive agenda,” the conservative U.S. Supreme Court found in 2020 that it’s illegal for employers to discriminate against gay and trans employees. The Alabama Transgender Rights Action Coalition issued a statement to Gizmodo noting the 2020 decision was written by an appointee of Donald Trump.
“It is clear that the goal of these social media posts is to pressure the Space and Rocket Center to fire the employee in question simply for being transgender. Legally, employers may not discriminate based on transgender status because of the majority Supreme Court opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County—an
opinion written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was appointed by President Trump,” the group wrote.
The Space and Rocket Center sent a statement to AL.com on Monday to “assure” the public they were investigating the complaints lodged online.
“We would like to assure parents, teachers, and the public that the safety and security of Space Camp students is our number one priority. Any allegations of misconduct are taken very seriously. We are working to determine the facts in this case, after which we will take appropriate action,” a statement from the Space and Rocket Center on Monday read.
The Space and Rocket Center didn’t immediately respond to an email from Gizmodo on Tuesday but released a list of “rigorous standards and procedures” followed by all employees at Space Camp:
No physical contact between staff and students beyond a fist bump or high five.
No staff is allowed to be alone with a student behind a closed door.
No sharing of personal details including personal phone numbers, email addresses, or social media information.
No discussion of religion, sexual topics, politics, or sharing of opinions and beliefs that may be controversial.
Again, there’s no indication this employee did anything wrong and the Space and Rocket Center notes that “staff sleep in separate rooms from students and use separate bathroom facilities.”
Gizmodo attempted to reach Bowman through social media on Tuesday but didn’t immediately hear back. We’ll update this post if we hear anything, but we understand how this kind of media attention can be overwhelming for anyone who becomes a target of an online mob, especially if senators and congressmen take up the issue.
Libs of TikTok has a long history of proudly stirring up bigotry and hatred that has real-world consequences for people just trying their lives. Whenever Libs of TikTok tweets, the worst people online jump into action. And that formula doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon.
