Just after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to let the Trump Administration’s ban on transgender people in the military proceed, V Wegman, a 21-year-old nonbinary former NASA intern, took to their Twitter account.
“I’m a nonbinary NASA intern. Nothing about my identity makes me any less capable of working in the government,” they said. “This administration is manufacturing oppression as a distraction from real issues.”
I’m a nonbinary NASA intern. Nothing about my identity makes me any less capable of working in the government.
This administration is manufacturing oppression as a distraction from real issues. #TransMilitaryBan
PS my coworkers and I are getting pretty desperate #shutdown pic.twitter.com/VEBUiUrpI0— v ready to graduate (@vwegs) January 22, 2019
Their Tweet went rapidly viral over the weekend, with over 30,000 favorites and 7,300 retweets since posted.
Related: Veteran & Senator Tammy Duckworth eviscerated Trump’s trans military ban with 3 sentences
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The tweet was accompanied with a photo of Wegman in a NASA flight suit in front of one of the aircraft used at NASA’s Langley Research Center. Wegman is a senior communications major at Ohio State University, and has completed two internships in NASA’s web and media development department.
Wegman had planned to continue to work for NASA after their graduation this year, but the current government shutdown has left them looking for other, non-governmental, opportunities. They also alluded to this in their tweet, saying, “PS my coworkers and I are getting pretty desperate #shutdown.”
It is worth noting that NASA itself is not subject to the trans military ban, as it is not counted amongst the armed forces. It is unclear how President Trump’s “Space Force” proposal could change that, should it ever get adequate traction.
Wegman followed up the tweet with a thank you for all the support and a link to their LinkedIn profile, highlighting their need for future work.
