NASA employees are no longer permitted to display pronouns in their email signatures or alongside their names in Microsoft Outlook and Teams. This change comes as part of a series of adjustments at the space agency following President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
NASA informed its employees of this policy change via an agency-wide email, citing recent executive orders as the reason for disabling the pronoun feature in id.nasa.gov and Teams. NPR reported that the email stated, “For users who have previously added pronouns to their display name, those pronouns will be automatically removed from the system this week.” Furthermore, NASA has implemented a standardized email signature block for all nasa.gov email addresses, prohibiting any additional embellishments. The email reportedly instructed all users (civil servants, contractors, and grantees) to update their signatures accordingly. MaagX reached out to NASA’s press office for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Executive Orders Drive Changes at NASA
This action follows a string of measures taken by NASA to comply with executive orders issued by the new administration, which critics argue target diversity and inclusion initiatives. After President Trump’s executive order to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices within the federal government, NASA swiftly terminated its diversity programs and canceled related contracts. In a January 22nd memo to agency employees, NASA’s acting administrator, Janet Petro, stated that these programs “divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination.”
Another memo circulated the same day directed employees to remove specific terms, such as DEI, underrepresented groups, women in leadership, environmental justice, and accessibility, from public-facing websites. The agency also temporarily suspended several astrophysics and planetary science committees while reviewing their alignment with the new directives.
Shift in Stance on Pronoun Usage
The removal of pronouns contrasts with NASA’s previous stance, which supported employees’ right to use their preferred names and pronouns. In 2022, online reports indicated that NASA had removed displayed pronouns from employee ID badges. A statement from NASA, which has since been removed from its website, affirmed the agency’s support for “every employee’s right to be addressed by their correct name and pronouns.”
Space.com reported at the time that the statement explained, “All NASA employees currently have the option and flexibility to include their gender pronouns in their customized email signature blocks. This option remains unchanged and is supported by NASA leadership so that employees can share their gender identities and show allyship to the LGBTQIA+ community.” The URL for this statement now leads to a “page not found” error, similar to other pages removed following Trump’s executive orders. NASA is seemingly overhauling its websites and employee digital signatures to conform to the administration’s new regulations.
Conclusion
NASA’s decision to remove pronouns from employee communications reflects a broader shift in policy under the new administration. These changes, driven by executive orders, have raised concerns about diversity and inclusion within the agency. The long-term impact of these decisions on NASA’s workforce and its public image remains to be seen.
