NASA chief tells employees to celebrate gay pride month

June 12, 5:59 PMOrlando Republican ExaminerBlas Padrino

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The Catholic News Agency reported this morning that National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s acting Chief Christopher J. Scolese sent an internal communication to all employees at the space agency directing them to organize and participate in Gay Pride Month celebrations.
On June 1st, President Obama issued a proclamation declaring June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. In it, the President affirmed his commitment to “support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans.” He listed among these measures the enhancement of hate crimes laws, support for civil unions and Federal rights, outlawing workplace discrimination, ensuring adoption rights and ending the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy for homosexuals in the military service. The proclamation has even broader scope than the original one issued by President Clinton in 1999. Gay Pride Month proclamations were not issued during the presidency of George W. Bush.
According to the CNA report, Mr. Scolese’s directive to the NASA staff stated in part:
 

“This month-long observance gives all of us an opportunity to appreciate the accomplishments of LGBT Americans and celebrate the many contributions members of the LGBT community make daily to the fabric of American life .
. . .
“Take time to learn about the contributions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans, and celebrate the diversity that has helped shape and strengthen NASA and our nation.”
 

This admonishment has been the subject of sharp criticism from John Stemberger, President of the Florida Family Policy Council, the State’s affiliate to Focus on the Family. That organization, founded by the Rev. James Dobson, is dedicated to the promotion of traditional family values, especially in threatened areas such as marriage, adoption and protection of the unborn. In a statement to the public, Mr. Stemberger deplored NASA’s Administrator’s deviation from the Agency’s mission of space exploration to pander to the White House through the encouragement of activities that are contrary to the principles and values of many NASA employees. He said in part:

“ . . . [I]t is unconscionable that [NASA’s] administrator would promote this type of a distraction and internally divisive social activism.
. . .
“NASA should be for advancing scientific space research objectives, not engaging in homosexual activism.”
 

The full text of the FFPC statement appears below.

FFPC 6-9 Release on NASA's Gay Pride Memo

The FFPC is a strong advocate of traditional marriage. It was an active force in the passage last fall of Florida’s Constitutional Amendment that defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman and prohibited the state from recognizing non-conforming unions sanctioned by other jurisdictions.

(Above right: NASA Interim Administrator Christopher Scolese. NASA Photo/Bill Ingalls; above left: FFPC President John Stemberger/Official photo)

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For more info: 
CNA article
President Obama's GLBT Pride Month proclamation
NASA's website
FFPC website.