--- title: "Former NASA Second-in-Command Says She Was Called Vile Sexist Slurs at Agency" description: "It's not shocking that NASA is a boys club, but according to a former high-ranking official, the agency is more misogynist than we ever could have thought." date: "2022-06-22" modified: "2022-06-22" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/lori-garver-nasa-slurs" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "bill nelson" - "elon musk" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # Former NASA Second-in-Command Says She Was Called Vile Sexist Slurs at Agency ![NASA is obviously a boys club, but according to a former high-ranking official, the agency is much more misogynist than we ever could have thought.]() *\Image: Leigh Vogel/Getty Images\* ## Gender Gap It's not a huge surprise that NASA is a boys club, but according to a former high-ranking official, the agency is more misogynist than we ever could have thought. In her soon-to-be-released memoir, Lori Garver, who served as NASA's deputy administrator during the Obama administration, has made some shocking claims about her treatment at the agency — including alleged verbal and physical threats of violence. "Many who disagreed with my views attacked me with vulgar, gendered language, depredation, and physical threats," Garver wrote in her forthcoming book, "Escaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age," newly [excerpted in *Politico*](). She added that unnamed coworkers call her "an ugly whore, a motherf\*cking b\*tch, and a c\*nt; told I need to get laid, and asked if I’m on my period or going through menopause.” ## Militaristic This "male-dominated" and "military culture" at NASA led not only to direct attacks, Garver wrote in her book, but also to gender equity issues across the agency, which has to date never had a female administrator. Per *Politico*'s retelling, the root of much intra-NASA ire towards Garver seems to stem from her boosting of Elon Musk and SpaceX, whose story the ex-deputy administrator says is intrinsically tied up in her own. NASA reportedly declined to comment on-record when *Politico* reached out to them, and Futurism has yet to hear back to our request for comment. Regardless of the sources of tension, these claims are serious and paint NASA in a harsh light. If nothing else, it's ballsy for Garver to openly call out the sexism she said she's experienced, and it's high time someone does something about it. **READ MORE:** [‘Get your boy Elon in line’: NASA tell-all recounts turmoil over private space race]() \[*Politico*\] **More on NASA and diversity:** [*Why Hasn’t NASA Hired More Black and Brown Astronauts?*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()