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Sally Ride Documentary Highlights NASA’s Rollback of Diversity Pledges

The film’s streaming launch coincides with NASA’s removal of its pledge to land the next woman on the moon

Sally Ride
Sally Ride became the first US women in space on June 24, 1983
The documentary about Ride, bottom left, took on a different meaning after Trump's re-election, according to its makers
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Overview

  • Director Cristina Costantini says the documentary has gained unexpected urgency following President Trump’s re-election
  • NASA recently removed its public vow that the next person on the moon would be a woman
  • Agency employees have been told to remove symbols of gay pride and trans visibility from its facilities
  • Sally Ride endured sexism and homophobia in her career and kept her queer identity private until after her death in 2012
  • Tam O’Shaughnessy warns that a research vessel bearing Ride’s name could be renamed as honors for LGBTQ+ figures are reconsidered