Space is So Much Bigger Than One Man

I need to make something very clear: I do not support Elon Musk. His words and actions have actively harmed people—especially those in marginalized communities—and I will never align myself with him or what he stands for. As our un-elected vice president—a self-appointed figure with outsized influence over policy, culture, and the future of technology—he is doing immeasurable harm to our government, our people, and the planet itself.

As someone who has built a space-themed art company, I’ve received questions over the years about how I reconcile my love of space with the fact that Elon Musk is one of the most visible figures in modern spaceflight. So let me be absolutely clear: my passion for space exploration, science, and the vast unknown has nothing to do with him.

Space belongs to all of us—the artists, the scientists, the kids staring up at the stars, the people dreaming of something more. 

I won’t deny that Musk helped bring spaceflight back into the public consciousness. For a time, I appreciated that. I believe space should inspire wonder—it should be something that excites us, something we dream about and reach for. But over time, his increasingly hostile, hateful, and reckless behavior has made that love feel complicated. Something that once gave me joy now feels shadowed by his presence. He’s taken up too much space, literally and figuratively, and I will never forgive him for the way he’s corrupted something that means so much to so many.

As an environmentalist, I’m also reckoning with the ecological impact of SpaceX’s recent launches—especially the failed ones. I do appreciate the innovation of reusable boosters. That step toward sustainability is important. But it’s hard to celebrate progress when we’re also watching the environmental consequences of those failures unfold in real time. Holding both of those truths—hope for the future and concern for the present—is messy, but necessary. I care deeply about protecting this planet, and I care deeply about exploring beyond it. I’m still learning how to hold both of those values without compromising either.

But the biggest issue isn’t technical—it’s human. Elon Musk is not just a controversial billionaire. He is a man who uses his power to spread dangerous rhetoric, embolden bigotry, and silence dissent. He has platformed hate, mocked and targeted vulnerable people, and treated human rights like an inconvenience. I stand firmly against that. I stand with LGBTQ+ people, especially those in the trans community. I stand with people of color. I stand with the workers he exploits and the communities he harms. His values are not my values. They never have been and never will be.

To everyone who showed up for the Hands Off protests last weekend—thank you. Your voices matter. Your presence matters. And even if you couldn’t attend in person, your solidarity is still powerful. These moments remind us that community care, resistance, and visibility do make a difference. And we need that strength now more than ever.

I refuse to let one man’s ego distort the magic, wonder, and possibility of spaceflight. Space belongs to all of us—the artists, the scientists, the kids staring up at the stars, the people dreaming of something more. It has always been bigger than him. And it always will be.

No matter how much damage he does to the public perception of spaceflight, I will keep showing up for the parts that matter. I will keep creating from a place of joy, curiosity, and love—for the cosmos, for this planet, and for the people fighting for a better future on it.

Hands off our government, Elon!

If this resonates with you—or even if you’re wrestling with your own complicated feelings about spaceflight, technology, environmentalism, or the role billionaires play in funding humanity’s desire to explore—I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Let’s talk about what space means to us beyond billionaires and headlines. Let’s reclaim it together.