The Gay Space Agency
’The Gay Space Agency’ confronts the US space programme’s historical exclusion of openly queer astronauts and asks who might be part of future explorations. Since its foundation in 1958, NASA has actively rejected prospective employees and astronauts on the basis of their sexuality.
To ensure the heterosexuality of the workforce, NASA uses the Rorschach inkblots and the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule ranking system to test the sexual preferences of aspiring astronauts. Although an LGBTQIA+ Special Emphasis Program was established in 2016 to encourage inclusivity in the workforce, no openly LGBTQIA+ NASA astronaut has yet gone into space.
In an effort to bridge the diversity gap and work towards a more inclusive future, Mackenzie Calle’s project reimagines a history that celebrates queerness and highlights LGBTQIA+ role models. She shows us a visually playful and otherworldly view of astronauts while also engaging in a serious analysis of the culture that represses the LGBTQIA+ community in space. Calle uses archival footage, current images of the space programme, collages and manipulated photography.
