Who is Amanda Nguyen? Activist and Astronaut

Trigger Warning: This article discusses themes of sexual assault. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit hotline.rainn.org. 

This week, the first all-female space flight crew launched into space aboard Blue Origin’s space tourism rocket. While the responses to the “mission” include accusations of wastefulness due to the cost of the eleven minute spaceflight, concerns surrounding its effect on the environment, and criticisms of Perry calling the mission a win for feminism and representation of women in space being out-of-touch. Something that has been perceived by critics as Perry “us[ing] feminism as a way to promote herself – without actually managing to help women at all” (Metro) essentially buying a ticket to space rather than working hard to truly make feminist history like female astronauts before her. Meanwhile, NASA personnel were instructed to scrub “Women in Leadership” and other related terms from their websites,

Despite the fact that diversity in recruitment has been an advantage for NASA in the past. For example, revolutionaries such as Katherine Johnson, who you might know as one of the “Hidden Figures”—being one of the mathematicians who was crucial to the success of America’s first achievements of space exploration. 

Achievements that Amanda Nguyen has since continued, both on Earth and aboard the Blue Origin. Amanda Nguyen, now the first Vietnamese woman to fly into space, is an astronaut, activist, and advocate for survivors of sexual assault. Nguyen was a student at Harvard University, studying astrophysics and even interning at NASA during her senior year. This was the same year Nguyen was forced to make an impossible choice as a survivor of a sexual assault that took place just months before graduation: taking steps towards her dreams of space, or using her experience as a survivor to become an advocate for others, driven by the fact that “in Massachusetts…rape kits were routinely destroyed after a six-month time period, even though the statute of limitations to report sexual assault is 15 years. This policy required Ms. Nguyen to file an extension request every six months to preserve her rape kit and her access to justice.” (Heinz Awards)

As a college student, I am unfortunately aware of the risk of experiencing rape or sexual assault on campus. According to RAINN, “Among undergraduate students, 26.4% of females and 6.8% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.²” As a college student in the state of Massachusetts, I cannot imagine having to request to extend the lifespan of the evidence of the crime against me so I could see justice in my state. Especially when reporting a sexual assault to the police, as well as undergoing the exam in order to compile Sexual Assault Evidence Kit—or “rape kit”—is an unspoken expectation placed upon survivors. Despite many survivors not feeling comfortable doing so—a perfectly valid feeling—and “Only 20% of female student victims, age 18-24, report to law enforcement.1” (RAINN) Those who did not cite reasons such as not being taken seriously, or believing the police would not or could not help them.

So Nguyen put her career on hold, using the time to found Rise Now, a non-profit dedicated to changing legislation to provide civil rights and protections to sexual assault survivors both locally and internationally. Most notably, the Survivor’s Bill of Rights, passed unanimously through the U.S. Congress. (Rise Now) 

Now Nguyen made history once again with a message to survivors everywhere: “‘In this moment, I just want all survivors to know: You can heal. No dream is too wild, and if it’s so wild and out there — like going to space — you can absolutely make it through, and it can absolutely be possible,’ she said during an interview conducted immediately post-flight.” (Space.com) A message that has unfortunately been overshadowed by the perceived performativity and skin-tight spacesuits of the Blue Origin flight. Nguyen has been largely ignored in the discourse surrounding the flight, or worse, lumped in with the criticisms of the flight being elitist by belittling her experiences as a survivor and the work she has done. But, Ngyuen worked hard for years—even putting her career on hold to fight for others. If anything she has more than earned her spot on the flight, “Her association with a billionaire-funded mission doesn’t erase the significance of what she represents – in fact, it raises the important question about how meaningful progress can still emerge within imperfect systems.” (Women’s Agenda) 

Amanda Nguyen has made history as both the first Vietnamese woman to fly into space, as an advocate for the civil rights of sexual assault survivors seeking justice. She serves as representation for these communities in the stars and in the world around us, continuing to make progress despite the ways society tries to keep them down. Her message of perseverance in the face of adversity cannot go unnoticed for survivors and women everywhere, because through the work she has done she has shown us that progress can still be made even in the face of a world that seeks to keep us down. Amanda Nguyen was the real feminist win of the Blue Origin flight, and we can still criticize the negative aspects of the mission without erasing what she represents and respecting how hard she worked and what she went through to get where she is today. I know I do.