The U.S. Space and Rocket Center recently said that the transgender employee at the center of a parent's complaint early this month has been transferred after an investigation showed undisclosed policy violations.
Early this month, Alabama lawmakers and thousands of others responded to reports from Huntsville man Clay Yarbrough, who learned that Molly Bowman, a biological male who identifies as a female, would be working in the overnight U.S. Space and Rocket Center Space Camp he planned to send his daughter.
Yarbrough included several screenshots from Bowman's social media, which was filled with hyper-sexual commentary. Comments on the post also accused Bowman of entering a girl's showering area at a previous camp experience.
On Friday, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center announced that it had concluded an investigation into Bowman, concluding that "[t]here is no evidence of inappropriate behavior or malfeasance between any Space Camp staff and student campers." The center also stated that no staff were present in campers' bathrooms at any point.
The center also gave a vague description of conversations on prohibited subjects between "an employee" and campers.
"We have received differing accounts on whether an employee spoke to campers on subjects that are prohibited, such as disclosing personal details, religious, or political points of view," the release said. "We have added a section to our camper and parent evaluations to better capture and address any potential violations quickly."
Additionally, the center gave an equally vague description of policy violations on Bowman's part, which ultimately led to his being transferred to a different job at the center.
"All other policy violations that were the subject of the investigation have been addressed as an internal personnel matter and include transferring the employee in question to another job at the Center," the release continued.
After the amorphous description of Bowman's violations, the center reiterated its policies and procedures for ensuring the safety of campers and the expectations of camp employees.
"Under our employee code of conduct, it is the expectation that Space Camp staff act as ambassadors for the Space & Rocket Center, both on and off site," the release stated. "Campers also commit to a code of conduct while they are at Space Camp. Together, camper and staff codes of conduct work in concert to ensure a safe learning environment with clear boundaries where camper privacy is respected, and the camp experience focuses on our mission."
"We are recommitting to ensuring all our policies are understood and enforced so that we can continue to provide a safe and friendly environment for campers who come from all 50 states and more than 70 countries each year. We remain focused on our mission and strive to maintain our position as the global leader for STEM education."
State lawmakers also responded to the controversy by suggesting legislative fixes to similar instances.
Reactions to the controversy varied, with some expressing rage at the accusations and others defending Bowman and claiming he did nothing wrong.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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