Monday 13th October 2025
Blog Page 245

How did Truss’ Cabinet become so anti-LGBTQ?

Jack Twyman
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How did Truss’ Cabinet become so anti-LGBTQ?

The role of the LGBTQ+ community in politics is a complex one. UK gay rights have advanced rapidly in the space of thirty years since the WHO declassified homosexuality as a mental illness: the age of consent has been equalised, adoption rights were won, Section 28 was repealed, and in the last ten years marriage equality has been delivered to all four nations of the United Kingdom. However, stigma still exists, and LGBTQ+ rights and particularly transgender rights have now been weaponised for political benefit. We cannot forget that this is still a country that up until this year had a Prime Minister that wrote about gay men being ‘tanked top bum boys’ and has never apologised.  We still have a highly revered Archbishop of Canterbury who maintains gay sex is a sin. And one in five LGBT people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their identity in the last 12 months.

The newly appointed Conservative Cabinet at Number 10 has been heralded for its ethnic diversity and stark contrast to that of Cameron’s only 6 years ago. However, this hides a rather unsettling trend in the top-jobs of politics. The PinkNews article scrutinising cabinet members LGBTQ+ stances is titled in exasperation ‘The good, the bad and the terrifying’. In a parliament that has the most LGBTQ+ MPs in history, we have receded to having no representation in Cabinet. Even in 1997, when the repressive Section 28 was still enforced, the first openly out Cabinet Minister assumed office.1 In a political party where only 2% of current MPs were sitting in parliament during the Thatcher years, it seems her legacy remains strong. Comparisons between Truss and Thatcher on any level are deeply unsettling for the LGBTQ+ community. This, I believe, is a problem worth investigating. This article has compiled voting records, MP testimony, and political commentary to try to understand the current situation in Conservative Politics.  

Let’s start by analysing Liz Truss and her closes allies; their subsequent appointment to Ministry is the source of shock that spurred me into writing this article: 

  • Truss herself has voted in favour of same-sex marriage consistently but her stint as Equalities Ministers was marred by resignations in the LGBT Advisory Panel in protest at ‘hostile’ treatment of the community.
  • Kwasi Kwarteng, the new Chancellor, voted against the legalisation of same-sex marriage twice in 2013 and has been absent for all votes on the subject since. 
  • Thérèse Coffey, new Deputy Prime Minister and Health Secretary, voted against marriage equality in England and Wales 2013 and in Northern Ireland in 2019. Coffey was then part of a group of 15 MPs who urged the House of Lords to block same-sex marriage after the House of Commons voted in its favour in 2013. Citing her religious values for her stance, she affirmed her view had not changed in multiple television appearances over the past three years. She has opposed mandatory sex and relationship education in schools which coming from the minister at the helm of the NHS during the Monkeypox outbreak is concerning. She has been quiet about her views on Trans Rights, but can be assured to change given the influential voice she now holds. 
  • The new Home Secretary Suella Braveman just led her unsuccessful leadership campaign on the backbone of her “war on woke” rhetoric. She follows her new bosses steadfast support of the Rwanda Policy even as LGBTQ+ rights group express horror at the thought of vulnerable refugees being sent to a country where gay and transgender indivuduals are rountinetly rounded up and detained by the government there.
  • Defence Secretary Ben Wallace ‘has voted against every piece of LGBT+ legislation put in front of him, including the Equality Act and same-sex marriage’. He also voted in favour of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which according to PinkNews will make it harder for lesbian couples to concieve through IVF. 
  • Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch is the former equalities minister who was accused of ‘utterly failing’ LGBTQ+ individuals in the role. he was a key facilitator of meetings between government representatives and conversion therapy advocates. In her bid for party leadership she positioned herself as ‘anti-woke’ and secured an endorsement from far-right group Britain first. She made headlines for adding gendered signage to gender neutral toilets at her campaign event. 
  • Active anti-gay marriage MP Jacob Rees Mogg has been promoted to Business Secretary despite always voting against legalising same-sex marriage. 
  • Simon Clarke, new Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, voted against legalising gay marriage in Northern Ireland. 

The Conservative Party’s divisive 1987 general election campaign poster. 

It is commonly understood that David Cameron’s Conservative government led the way for the legalisation of gay marriage. But this is not true. While only 41% of Tory MPs voted for legislation, it was Labour’s unwavering 88% support that got the bill passed. Tory MPs made up 82% of all votes against. Interestingly all 8 Northern Ireland DUP MPs voted against the Bill despite it only affecting England and Wales; the SNP abstained for this reason. Theresa May’s decision to enter into de-facto Coalition with this deeply homophobic party is emblematic of the continued Tory association with anti-LGBTQ+ organisations.

Looking to the 2019 vote to legalise same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland,  while MPs overwhelmingly voted in favour (383-73), it was the Conservatives who were responsible for 89% of those votes against – including several Ministers. No Labour or Liberal Democrat MPs voted against. Notable abstentions include Jeremy Hunt, Boris Johnson, Theresa May (then PM), Ester McVey, Philip Hammond (then Chancellor), Sajid Javid (then Home Secretary). Many Conservatives have voted for some legislation, including Dominic Raab, but continue with efforts to protect churches who were opposed to conducting ceremonies. 

All this may be surprising for a political party that has the most LGBTQ+ MPs at 26 compared with Labour’s 22. Many of these MPs have struggled with their identity and are public about the challenges they have faced. Conservative Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski came out to his constituency already an MP. He told the Shropshire Star in 2019 “I was scared to tell, even to my closest supporters in the local Conservative Association – so much so that I was quietly praying the train would break down so I would not have to impart it”. I approached Daniel for a comment but was declined. Conservative MP David Mundell came out as gay in 2016 while Scotland Secretary after dealing with “conflicting emotions … doubts and fears” He was demoted under Theresa May and has not served in cabinet since. He conceded that he would only ever be happy with himself if he was himself in his public life as well as private. Ruth Davison, former Scottish Conservative Leader, has also spoken of the difficulties of being publicly gay while not seeking to talk about it. Conservative MP Dehenna Davison is the first female openly bisexual MP. She spoke to PinkNews about not wanting to make her ‘coming out’ a big deal.

There are currently 66 openly-LGBT MPs according to LGBT+ in Parliament website. While MPs face difficulty navigating their identity within politics, the proportion of MPs, especially within the Conservative Party suggest that improvements have been made. There is a dedicated LGBT+ Conservative Group who supporting and further the rights of their LGBT+ members. There is no question the Conservative Party has a complex and challenging relationship with LGBT rights, and understadning their current situation of simultaneously having the most LGBTQ+ MPs while also a cabinet that has consistently voted against furthering those MPs rights, was a task only an insider perspective could help understand. I reached out to openly-LGBT MPs of all parties and received no responses from Labour or the SNP. This is a statement in itself and regardless of politics, I would like to personally thank Conservative MP Crispin Blunt for giving this article exclusive insight. 

Reigate MP Crispin Blunt left his wife and revealed he was gay in 2010. He was deselected by his local Conservative Association’s Executive Council soon after in 2013 – many pointing to his sexuality as the reason. In the controversy that followed several members went record to say they would not support a gay candidate. However, he was reinstated and his parliamentary career continued. Being no stranger to the complex relationship his party has with LGBTQ+ rights, Blunt was keen to speak to me about my concern regarding the new cabinet. 

“There will be a natural anxiety for people looking at their [new cabinet members] voting records and their views,” Blunt began. “But as the person who called on Liz Truss to resign as Equalities Secretary after the screw up she made with the Gender Recognition Act, while you might think that I would be partially in your corner, as ever things are a little bit more complicated than they might appear”.

Blunt is a proud advocate of LGBT+ rights and was the founder and chair of the APPG for Global LGBT+ Rights following  his ministerial duties. He seems proud of the advancements society has made regarding this issue: “Over many decades from the period of the 1950s from where you had a police force enthusiastically entrapping gay men in the UK and over a thousand people in prison for consensual sex, the change in attitude over that period has been profound.”

Crispin does not deny his party’s complicated past on the issue. “The step back for the Conservative party in the 1980s on Section 28 is a terrible stain on the party’s record. But it does need to be understood in the context of the time…It became clear to me that in the early 1980s the LGBT cause had been appropriated by a revolutionary left. It had lined up with Peter Tatchell, the miners, and other causes that were seen as a threat to the state itself – the people who wanted to change society radically.” Crispin believes it was Stonewall’s attempts to ‘make amends’ with the establishment that produced a ‘constructive engagement.’ “That first meeting with John Major following Thatcher’s departure produced the unanswerable position that equality was required – first on the age of consent.” While Major’s move in 1995 to equalise the age of consent ‘narrowly lost at the time’ Crispin is insistent that this demonstrates his party ‘quickly starting to move on this issue’ even if ‘Tory backwings in the House of Lords’ delayed the equalisation to 16 that PM Blair introduced a decade later. In the House of Commons, a very large number of Conservatives were now supporting reform, with some very powerful voices like Bernard Jenkin. They had to wake up to the reality of modern society.” He points out that the Labour Blair government did not change the policy to allow gay people to serve openly in the armed forces, having to be imposed in 2002 by the European Court of Human Rights.

“It has always been a reality that a pretty decent minority, if not a majority of parliamentary researchers and those fluttering about in the Westminster space were gay. There were far more gay conservatives than there were in the other parties.” Blunt continues.  “You had people like [openly gay] Guy Black (now Lord) who was a senior member of the Conservative Research department writing speeches for Thatcher on Section 28. Now it obviously looks absurd.”  

Blunt understands the Civil Partnership Act gave ‘legal equality’ to same sex couples “So for many Conservatives – misguided in my view – it was about ownership of the word marriage. Was it owned by the Church or the State? And I think for you and me the answer is blindingly obvious in that we should have progressed to equal marriage in the first place.” While David Cameron’s parliamentary party voted against him “it was only half and those voting against knew they were going to lose so they could make a risk free statement for those people for whom who this was important”. Blunt believes that “in this area some people are always going to put their faith first” however it now safe to be a Conservative candidate and be gay. 

“By 2018 with Theresa May as PM we had the most progressive LGBT equality action plan in the world”. Blunt is noticeably frustrated with his party entering into “a totally avoidable mess over not understanding the Trans issue properly”.

Blunt’s prioritisation of Trans rights in parliament stems from his own experiences as a member of the LGBTQ+ society. “I had to think this through from scratch in summer 2020. “I’m a minority sexuality. What the fuck is it like to be in the wrong gender?” Blunt is critical of culture wars around Trans rights. “Once you convince people that  transgenderism and gender dysphoria are a real thing then you can address the consequences of gender dysphoria.” Blunt claims this can be done through improving the currently ‘woeful’ medical services that treat and help adults and children ‘in a proper and academic and medical way’. When asked about Tory Ministers meeting with anti-Trans groups, Blunt says: “Kiera Bell is the 1% of those people who regret medical transition. But what about the other 99% and transition surgery has the lowest regret rate of any surgery?”  He is clear the greatest threat to women does not come from Trans women and that “the current artificially stoked row” is a reflection of a system that doesn’t have adequate resources.

Blunt shared his own coming out experience with me. After telling his wife, he was advised by Cameron’s Press Secretary Andy Coulson to write a public statement and share it to the relevant platforms. “While all the Saturday newspapers put it somewhere near the front page; most of the commentary at that point is ‘why do we need to know this, what is this to do with us?’. That was the first time there had been a reaction in that way. It was only the Daily Mail who managed to find two more days of news out of it. The Daily Mail decided I had done it to save my career.2 

“This can be contrasted to my colleague Greg Barker, who came out to his wife in 2008 but didn’t tell anybody else. He was seen in a gay club with his boyfriend and the Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail then did him for a week. The change in those two years was quite marked”. Blunt says making a public statement got him to where he wanted to be with no effects that he can ‘properly identify’ on his political career – “its path is entirely mine”. While he was ‘ambushed’ in the reselection process, Blunt received a ‘definitive answer’ when 86% of all local members voted to reselect him. “I feel rather sorry for the people who took a rather public position around my reselection because they simply didn’t know how to express themselves”.  

“Nik Herbert was the first gay conservative ever to be selected for a seat he could win as a candidate – and that was in 2005. Alan Duncan was the first Conservative ever to come out as a serving MP and that was in 2001. By 2010 as many gay conservative candidates were being selected for winnable seats as anyone else. By 2015/17 there are more gay conservatives than other parties by a decent distance, which reflects the nature of the Conservative family in Westminster. For the Conservatives to have the first trans MP is another marked social change. Jamie has an important role in achieving rights for trans people in the UK and convincing some of my colleagues they do actually exist.” 

Asking about the Rwanda Policy, Blunt’s view surprises me. “I think if someone’s claiming asylum because of being LGBT it would be rather odd if we started shoving those people on a plane to Rwanda. Hopefully this situation will force a conversation on Rwanda’s own policy into space. This is part of the rather unhappy picture where the commonwealth [British Empire] produced most places where it illegal for people to be gay.  Many countries never changed the laws imposed by the Victorians on African societies that criminalised homosexuality, and which didn’t consider the complexities of African society: the last king of Uganda was bisexual, and so for Uganda to be the poster child for the worst anti-LGBT practises is a devastating misunderstanding of history and their own society. LGBT rights have been seen as a Western imposition, when it’s actually quite the reverse.” I completely agree with this and offer the following research paper for further reading.

Blunt concludes by hoping he has communicated this journey. Sir Peter Tapsell, former father of the house, having been Anthony Eden’s private secretary in the 1950s “says that this was the biggest social change in his time in politics”. “We [the Conservative Party] always would be laggers on social reform, the party of the establishment are inevitably going to be led by the progressive parties on these kinds of issues because they will be institutionally more attached to church and state than the Labour party and its more radical members. It was actually the association of the LGBT equality issue with the radical change in British society that then frightened the Conservatives institutionally from actually standing for equality. Stonewall were the ones that actually worked out that the Conservatives were no different from anyone else on this issue, and if approached properly would be perfectly capable of doing it.  Your generation of 20-year-olds are miles ahead in understanding than people who are 30, Christ help us 60 year olds.” Blunt is right to identify the Conservatives as the party of the establishment, but to the objection of the leadership in his party who are adamant that it isn’t. Is Tory resistance to BLM and Trans Rights a repetition of what Blunt reasons? As the party looks ahead to try to win the next election, the electoral map is beyond recognition. Those who identify as right wing do so now more become of their social values, as opposed to their economic ones.  And this sets a scene for an election fought on battlegrounds of culture, not economy. 

There is no question that the the Conservative Party has made headway in some forms of diversity. While they govern under their third female prime minister, Labour has yet to appoint a female leader. And the new cabinet is historic diversity top jobs of government. Yet there is a clear misunderstanding of why diversity is championed. What is longed for in many communities is for individuals who yes represent them, but also act in their best interest and actively take tactile measures and policies that help these communities. While I cannot speak for ethnic minorities, if a gay man was Prime Minister but did nothing to tackle the homophobic hate crimes that harm our community nor ban conversion therapy then there really isn’t much difference from a straight one. Hollow representation has been used to pedal ideology that would be seen as unacceptable proposed by an individual of a different group. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, it does not make everyone right nor worthy of office. For a party whose leadership has consistently played into populist rhetoric,‘fought’ supposed ‘culture wars’ and undermined the most vulnerable groups in society for political capital it is easy to see why the situation for LGBTQ+ people is more uncertain. 

While the politicians in the Conservative Party have varying opinions on the LGBTQ+ community, it is not validation that we need. We know that there will always be homophobes in society, and always people that want to put us down. What matters is that we rise above it as a community. We have many legal protections in the law.  What we need are changes in societal attitudes. We may wish to have politicians that represent and fight for us in the national arena, and I do believe that with time this will come. Times are always changing and the path to progress will be travelled even if we have been forced around a long winding Tory diversion. I wish for a time when sexuality or gender identity are not career defining features in politics, and when there will be no need to champion these figures, as they have already been embraced by a free and fair society. 

1.Section 28 was introduced in 1987 by Thatcher’s Conservatives and prohibited the “promotion of homosexuality” by local authorities and forced many LGBT organisations like support groups to limit their activities or self-censor. Thatcher also vetoed HIV awareness broadcasts during the AIDs pandemic at the cost of many lives.

2.After his speech as Prison’s Minister caused critical headlines No. 10 censured Blunt and indicated his removal.

Image credit: Jack Twyman

A folly in vain

Monty Jones
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A folly in vain

Surrounded by serious suited men on their way to their serious jobs I rest my head awkwardly on the shared table feeling the rhythmic jolts of the tracks as I look down at my feet and try not to throw up. I’m not convinced there’s a state worse for the temperament than being hungover on the train. I travel back up to Oxford only a day after my arrival weary and defeated, like a vanquished soldier returning from battle, I remember the journey to the front yesterday morning, full of anticipation.

I’d let just about every person who’d already arrived in Oxford unfortunate enough to cross my path know of my impending escape, slipping it, ever so unsubtly, into every conversation;

“Sorry man, I wish I could, but I’ve got to head down to London for this modelling thing tomorrow”

“Oh really? Leaving so soon?”

“yeah” I exhale, feigning reluctance, “not much I can do, agent’s making me”.

In reality all my agent had done was casually mention at the end of an email that “some casting call for a modelling job had come up…. if you fancied it” and I had flung myself at the opportunity. Acting and writing sound just about serious enough to suggest a potential career or at the very least the pursuit of some artistic value but with just the faintest scent of high fashion’s superficial allure I had been totally seduced and very willing to escape the stress and toil of Oxford to spend a day mingling with the beautiful and carefree. This, I thought as the tannoy announced our approach to Paddington and I reclined into my seat with a smile, must surely be the life.

I very quickly discovered the kind of life I had really stumbled into less than an hour later when I found myself in the cold expanse of a studio space in soho standing in nothing but my underwear. My choice of blue boxers, made with the same daily impression that I would be the only person to see them, was suddenly called into question as I looked around a room full of taller better-looking versions of myself in tighty whities. They all had a certain ineffable “look” a particular crook of the nose or sharpness of the jaw to accompany the compulsory physique of someone who had never quite found the point of food, like aliens a couple of steps up the evolutionary ladder. With a cluster of unsmiling casting agents approaching, all dressed entirely in black and with varying shades of bleached hair, I half expected to be probed. Instead, they silently looked me up and down as if making a dubious assessment of a secondhand car. I offered my best attempt at a disarming smile. It was not reciprocated. Never had a morning lecture sounded so inviting.

The day proceeded as a series of endless lines parading back and forth, adorned in seemingly endless variations of every possible garment, in front of the same blank faces. By the time they announced the casting was over and we all filed out into the street the light had drained from the sky. Exhausted despite a day spent doing very little I leaned headfirst against a lamppost imagining I was in my room at Oxford spending the evening pleasantly procrastinating over an essay. Then someone tapped me on the shoulder. The compulsion to save a day by going out at night is almost always a miscalculation, the bill for the first round of drinks at the club in soho I was dragged to all but confirmed it. It turns out what models lack in appetite they make up for in the ability to consume vast amounts of impossibly expensive cocktails. I woke the next morning on the floor of a shared flat stepping over the beautiful sleeping faces of people I could not recollect meeting and did not want to meet again and staggered back to Paddington.

I looked out of my train window as we pulled into Oxford with a renewed appreciation for the old place and a powerful motivation to start work in the knowledge that I certainly wouldn’t be embarking on a modelling career post-graduation. This year, I considered solemnly, will be one of diligence and consistency. It was at this point as I got off the train that my phone rang, a shrill torture to hungover ears and recognising  my agent’s number picked up reluctantly.

“Hey, how’s it going?” he asked, moving on before I could answer “and how do you feel about a trip to Italy next week?” I paused for a moment considering the week of important work ahead and my commitment to being sensible and staying in Oxford, “sure” I replied, wincing into the sun as I left the station, “why not?”.
Image Credit: Gracie Oddie James.

Bullingdon Club Announces Diversity Training

Patrick Clinch
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Bullingdon Club Announces Diversity Training

The infamously exclusive Bullingdon Club announced this week that its members will undergo a series of sensitivity courses with the intention of making current members more comfortable with increasing diversity in the historic Oxford society. “We want to eventually open our doors to different kinds of people who didn’t just attend Eton or Harrow. In fact, we’re considering letting in a few students who attended Winchester College and maybe even some from Wycombe Abbey,” said the current President of the Bullingdon, who insisted that he remain unnamed because he will probably be Prime Minister one day. 

“It will be difficult for our members to accept some of these changes, but these courses will help with our growing pains. Most of us, after all, have never even spoken to a man with no title or who attended anything less than the 10th or 11thbest boarding school in England, but the world is changing and so must we,” continued the President of the more than 200-year-old dining club with a reputation for its privileged members and bad behavior. 

“Our club famously was the playground of prime Ministers and Princes, but we’d like it to also be a playground for a few Foreign Ministers and Viscounts, perhaps even a Baron or two,” said another member who spoke on the condition of anonymity so that no one would later be able to find footage of him “doing anything unsavory with… for example… a pig’s head.”

According to the Club, sensitivity courses will feature a session on common courtesy including how to ask questions designed to put people at ease such as, “what is your name?” and “how are you?” 

Another course will train members how to refrain from commenting on the quality of tailoring on another man’s suit as well as a crash course on when it might be inappropriate to throw empty champagne bottles against the wall or trash a restaurant. “It seems such behavior might make new members of, well, lesser backgrounds… such as those from, say, Abingdon or, Heaven forbid, Sevenoaks… rather uncomfortable.” 

The Club will remain closed to female students and also to just about everyone else, but the Club insists that real progress is being made, however gradually. “This is a big step for us and, one day soon, you might even see someone who isn’t even reading PPE in our illustrious society,” said the President. 

New term, new you— whatcha packing?

Freya Buckley
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New term, new you— whatcha packing?

Which clothes to bring to uni? Which clothes to pack that will inevitably end up in a heap on the floor of your wardrobe once term properly starts and you can no longer be bothered to use hangers? When Shakespeare wrote “to be or not to be, that is the question”, I think what he really meant is “to wear or not wear, that is the question”. It may seem silly but I consider choosing which outfits to bring each term akin to choosing which child to love best.

Now I’m going to preface this reasoning with the admission that the top I’m using as my example was not actually bought by me, nor was it technically intended for me.

My lovely mother, my lovely, generous, mother bought it for…herself. However, upon reflection (otherwise known as me claiming it as soon as I saw it in her wardrobe and wearing it every night-out), it was kindly donated to me, and I think we can all agree it fell into the correct hands.

This top is special. It’s entirely glittery, with three stripes – orange, blue and pink (think a sort of disco neapolitan ice cream). It’s also from the nineties, it’s seen dance floors new and old. The insufferable cool points I awarded myself for wearing this top to a nineties night (“I’m so authentic!”) or the fact it fits just perfectly are not the reasons why I find this top so meaningful. This top is always the correct night-out choice. It looks good with jeans, skirts and shorts. But most of all, it makes me feel confident. It makes me want to dance and be free –  it makes me feel cool, ok?!  And to be soppy for a moment away from home at this (terrifying) university, it reminds me of my mam.

I think there is something truly unique about the feeling of putting on a piece of clothing and just feeling utterly, undeniably yourself. Clothes become synonymous with our identities – material extensions of our inner selves. Think of the people in your life and I bet you think of them in that one certain, purely them outfit. When I think of my mam, I think of green scarves and black Doc Martens; my friend Georgia reminds me of glamourous, business woman blazers and silky dresses. And for me, well, I like to think in their mind’s eye I’m wearing my beloved, sparkly top.

Clothes are not just comfortable in the physical sense of the word (and often they’re not at all – ‘suffer for fashion’ and all that nonsense), they’re a source of comfort because they’re a layer of our selfhood we can wear as a badge when we want to shout: ‘This is me!’. But they’re also something we can swaddle ourselves in when we’re in scary, new places. Dancing through the streets of Oxford in my ‘utterly me’ top, I feel unstoppable. And don’t we all want to feel like that? 

Image credit: Freya Buckley.

In Conversation with CosmicSkeptic: Cancel culture, contrarianism and Christ.

Izzie Alexandrou
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In Conversation with CosmicSkeptic: Cancel culture, contrarianism and Christ.

“I take inspiration from the figure of Jesus.” Unlikely words to be coming out of the mouth of an atheist, but perhaps unsurprising, given that Alex O’Connor’s devotion to Christianity (or his lack thereof) means that he has meticulously studied the religion inside and out over the course of his career. Despite being catholic school raised, oftentimes a church go-er and a philosophy and theology graduate from Oxford, Alex does not believe in God. 

Alex O’Connor, better known as YouTuber CosmicSkeptic, describes himself as “philosophy enthusiast, slash communicator turned vegan advocate,” – though, not fond of the label “philosopher” for the risk of sounding ridiculously pretentious. An advocate for quite the repertoire of causes over the years O’Connor has entertained his 460,000 YouTube subscribes with debates, podcasts and Ted Talks spanning veganism, atheism, free speech, and general philosophical arguments. 

We are sat in the Queens Lane Coffee House, a place he describes as his “second home,” discussing the nuances of debate and controversy. After recommending Hitchens’ Letters to a Young Contrarian to me a few months ago, I ask O’Connor what he would advise a young contrarian, who battles with his opinion against today’s dynamic of cancel culture, something which he speaks openly against. Quoting Hitchens, as he so often does, he tells me “People must choose their regrets.” 

His advice is to balance up which regrets you may withstand, and those which you may not. 

He stresses the importance of determining whether social costs are worth supressing your true feelings and opinions. Slightly less inspirational than I’d anticipated, but pragmatism and a lack of romanticism is an admirable quality for a philosopher to possess.  

He tells me: “It’s a painful experience, feeling like you have to suppress what you think and just awkwardly, cringe-ly smile along to people saying things that you just don’t think are true. This could be a terrible feeling. It’s like, maybe that’s actually more unliveable than dealing with people who dislike you quite a bit. So, you’ve kind of got to choose which is more useful to you.” 

How does O’Connor act on his own instruction, then, given that he has made a career out of debate, discussion, and advocacy? His videos, dealing with controversial topics, all come with the real prospect of dispute, so how does he manage to choose the “right” regret? He tells me that there have certainly been instances where opinions he have voiced have come at a personal cost, but overall, they were learning experiences. 

He then goes on to give me a bit more advice about dealing with judgment: “I try to be a bit more friendly in conversations with people. I take inspiration from the figure of Jesus Christ.”

Whilst an atheist, O’Connor believes that Jesus is a great moral teacher, even among non-Christians, and echo’s his “love your enemies” teaching. Recounting the use of this “Jesus-inspired” philosophy in practice, he unlocks his phone to show me a recent experience over Instagram, in which a message from a follower reads: “Shut the f*ck up r*tard and mind your own business. Go eat grass.” 

“I don’t know why he’s so upset,” O’Connor tells me, “I was just thinking to myself, what happens when someone’s actually confronted in the sense that, lets actually investigate why you think this.” He replies calmly, attempting to understand the anger, and within two messages the follower stops his aggression. After being seemingly upset with O’Connor’s choice to take his channel in a more vegan direction, the follower responds: “Don’t be sorry things have changed,” followed by a smiley face; “we all change for the better or the worse.” 

O’Connor remarks about the peculiar nature of the encounter. After a couple of messages, this follower went from using slurs to adding smiley faces. What does this teach us about the art of contrarianism? Kindness and compassion will be better received than aggression.

Though many followers have criticised O’Connor’s turn to veganism, he remains dedicated his vegan direction. His interest in vegan advocacy began after reading Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation – struck by the extremity of the violence involved for factory farming and the trivial justifications for this violence, Alex feels bound to turn to vegan advocacy.

“Nobody wants to be vegan.” He pauses to take bite of his vegan breakfast.  “Nobody wants to give up these wonderful tasting products.”  He tells me how a couple of years ago, he made a video about veganism which he prefaced by saying: “Don’t worry – I’m not becoming some vegan advocacy channel.” 

Now, being a vegan advocacy channel seems much of the point. 

A comment under one of O’Connor’s posts questions why so much of his current content has changed – the comment asks O’Connor to comment on political issues, saying “your strength is in the politics.” This is something I have wondered for a while. Whenever asked a question, O’Connor answers are usually meticulously thought out. Why does he then choose to shy away from certain issues? 

“Truth is, it’s about what I’m competent in. I’ve got nothing of interest to say here, I have no unique perspective to bring and even if I bring a unique perspective if I’m challenged on it, I won’t really have the competence to defend my views without doing more harm.” 

As it turns out, O’Connor never makes claims he doesn’t feel able to adequately defend – he says it would be “self-defeating” to do so. It means he keeps his mouth shut on issues he doesn’t know much about. If everyone answered questions only when they felt competent in the topic, with the deliberate and calculated nature that CosmicSkeptic does, reasoned discussion would surely be much easier.  

Yet, in a university where many people feel qualified to speak on most issues, competence isn’t enough. Undoubtedly, free speech matters as a principle. But we must consider the personal consequences of speaking. In asking us to choose our regrets, O’Connor has a rare lesson from a contrarian: sometimes, it isn’t worth it.  

Confusion over reallocation of St Benet’s students

Suzanne Antelme
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Confusion over reallocation of St Benet’s students

Students from St Benet’s Hall have been reallocated to other colleges and Permanent Private Halls (PPHs) across the University. 

The Hall announced on 2nd June that it had to vacate its premises by 7th October as the buildings had been placed on the market by Ampleforth Abbey Trust (AAT). This followed the University’s decision on 9th May not to renew St Benet’s teaching license because it judged the PPH financially unsustainable. Involving over 70 students, this is the largest inter-college redistribution of students in Oxford’s modern history.

All students of St Benet’s Hall with one or more years of study remaining were told on 5th July where they had been reallocated, although the exact mechanics of the reallocation process remain unclear. Samuel Kenny, the Hall’s JCR Secretary, told Cherwell that the University essentially sent out an “SOS to all the colleges”, listing the number of students, their course and year of study.

Kenny criticised the University for failing to adequately communicate to students what was happening to them, claiming that “at one point emails weren’t being replied to” and labelling University communication “very limited … [and] very stressful” . Mikyle Ossman, a second year student who has been reallocated to Christ Church, told Cherwell he thought the reallocation process was “as fair as getting pooled”. But he echoed Kenny’s criticism of the University’s communication: “We weren’t really told anything. […] Anything we did find out was through back channels or hearsay.”

Cherwell spoke to a student who appealed their reallocation but had their appeal denied. They knew of a few other students who had tried to appeal but none who had succeeded. It was hard to lodge an appeal because it was not made clear on what grounds an appeal could be made: “[The University] didn’t really tell you how to appeal, that wasn’t something that was communicated until people asked. […] I don’t think a lot of people even knew about the fact that it was an option. […] They’ve been so unhelpful, it’s really disappointing.” A University spokesperson told Cherwell it had “worked hard to account for individual student’s welfare needs” and was “confident that all continuing students will continue to enjoy a high quality of education”.

Students can also apply for migration, which is a longstanding mechanism separate from the reallocation process which allows students at the University to apply to change colleges. Cherwell is aware of at least two reallocated students successfully applying for migration, both after being reallocated to Regent’s Park College. A significant proportion of students – 29 out of over 60 undergraduates – were reallocated to Regent’s, also a PPH.

Elizabeth Crawford, Interim Principal at Regent’s, told Cherwell: “Regent’s was approached because of the overlap of subjects taught in each College and pre-existing arrangements for collaboration. […] We were informed that there was a strong preference amongst St Benet’s students [to remain together]. […] There have been two recent [migrations], both of which meet the Collegiate rules … for a ‘compelling’ reason. […] We were surprised to hear that there was some prevailing misperception amongst some students at St Benet’s that Regent’s Park was as fragile an institution as St Benet’s. […] It is a matter of public record that Regent’s Park owns its own buildings … is completely debt-free, has an endowment of nearly £8 [million], and is currently running a surplus. […] Regent’s Park College is delighted to welcome our new students and is fully committed to giving them a good student experience.”

Both students who migrated from Regent’s were apparently Classics students. Kenny told Cherwell he was concerned for Classicists reallocated from St Benet’s to Regent’s as normally the latter only takes one or two Classics students whereas with the reallocated students there would now be between six to eight Classicists starting their second year at Regent’s. It is also alleged that Regent’s plan to phase out the course. A student studying Classics at Regent’s told Cherwell that this was “deeply disappointing”.

Housing was another key issue. Kenny had expected to live-in at St Benet’s this year but discovered after he was reallocated to Regent’s that they had no available college accommodation. The University wanted to put him in graduate accommodation for £713 per month on a ten month contract, quite different to the St Benet’s accommodation he had budgeted for which operated on a term-time contract. Kenny managed to arrange to live-out at the last minute, but said he finds it “utterly ludicrous” that the University reallocated students to colleges that could not house them. Another student in a similar situation was unable to arrange to live-out at such short notice. Initially the University offered them graduate accommodation that was “very much” out of their budget and gave them only a week to confirm. After several students emailed to complain about the price, the University adjusted their offer to match what students had expected to pay at St Benet’s.

While relieved that the prices had been adjusted, the student thought the University had paid little attention to how the accommodation arrangement would impact student welfare: “This has just added extra stress on top of changes to social and academic life going into final year which will not only affect my wellbeing but also academic performance.”

Image Credit: Janet McKnight/CC BY 2.0

Wags in the Rag: Scrumpy and Spangle

Ciara Rushton
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Wags in the Rag: Scrumpy and Spangle

In what is often a stressful academic environment, nothing offers greater stress relief than cute animals. College pets are therefore, in my opinion, one of Oxford’s best features. Plenty of colleges have at least one, and many are famous enough to have their own Instagram accounts! Whether they be tortoise, dog, or feline, these pets are truly an iconic part of their respective college communities. This column will thus be dedicated to introducing you to the different pets living across Oxford’s colleges, and to show the true value of having them in the community for welfare, entertainment, and more!

There’s no better place to start with this by looking at the college pets within my own college community at Magdalen. Scrumpy has been our college dog, alongside his feline companion Spangle, since the current President Dinah Rose KC joined the college in 2020. Though the rules of the college had to be changed to allow the pets to join the college and the tapestry in the President’s Lodgings had to be cat-proofed, they’ve been welcomed to the community with open arms, plenty of dog walks, and endless affection.

Dinah and her husband Peter were kind enough to answer some questions for me about their beloved pets. Scrumpy, 12, and Spangle, 15, have both been with them since birth, alongside Spangle’s more reserved sister Kiki. Both have previously worked as therapy animals through the charity Pets as Therapy, with Scrumpy helping children learn to read at school and both helping out at a residential home for young people with eating disorders. Upon meeting them both, you’d be unsurprised to hear this given how kind and gentle-natured they are. I have fond memories from Trinity 2022 where, whilst we were rehearsing for the Magdalen garden play in the President’s Garden, both frequently took to being stage invaders or walking into circles of people looking for pets, though none of us were complaining. Spangle even appeared on stage during one of the performances!

Scrumpy, described in three words as ‘Not Oxford Material’, may not be the brightest dog, but is always happy to brighten up your day. He’s a beautiful cocker spaniel who sports a Magdalen collar around the grounds and who will always stop for a pet. He is available for Magdalen students to walk on weekdays, both a great way to get some fresh air and exercise, and important for welfare, especially for anyone who might be feeling homesick or missing a pet at home. Though I’ve sometimes found that he isn’t keen on a 9.30am walk and might try and go home halfway around Addison’s Walk, being able to take him for a stroll is something myself and others have nonetheless found great for escaping academic and other concerns for a little while. 

Spangle, described as ‘God In Disguise’, is a fluffy black and white cat, available for students at the college to book in to stroke at certain times during the week. I remember how, at the very first meeting we had in subject groups with the President in my own freshers’ week, Spangle took to majestically walking along the whole table, allowing some of us to pet him during his promenade. Having a cat in the college, especially once we could book to stroke him again, was great for me personally, having cats at home that I missed dearly, and the sessions can be really relaxing. Whether he’s starring in plays, or simply being there to pet, Spangle is fantastic to have around the college.

Alongside Scrumpy and Spangle, it’s also great to have wildlife around whilst living in a city, especially if you come from near the countryside as I do. The deer at Magdalen are stunning and a key feature of the college, and there’s nothing quite like seeing the baby deer appear in Trinity. Though they’re not strictly college pets, they’re undoubtedly a huge part of the college community. Talk to any Magdalen student – they’ll always mention the deer park!

In my own experience, therefore, I can vouch for the benefits of having pets in colleges. Scrumpy and Spangle are great for welfare within Magdalen, as well as being simply adorable. Whether they’re college pets or not, animals help many of us greatly with academic stress. There are many more college pets across Oxford, and I hope in the coming weeks to introduce you to at least a few of them!

Image credits: Peter Kessler

Cherbadly: St. Benet’s Hall to be Purchased by Russian Mining Magnate Dmitri Berinov

Patrick Clinch
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Cherbadly: St. Benet’s Hall to be Purchased by Russian Mining Magnate Dmitri Berinov

In a rapid sell-off of its assets, defunct Oxford community St. Benet’s Hall is to be purchased by Russian oligarch Dmitri Berinov for use as a summer retreat and money laundering scheme. “We regret the loss of our beautiful community due to financial misfortune, but we hope St. Benet’s will be a good home for Mr. Berinov,” said a St. Benet’s spokesperson. 

The Hall, founded in 1897 as a monastic community will become a means by which Dmitiri Berinov can redistribute and hide the money he made when he took over the Russian mining giant Rusorok in a rigged penny auction in 1994. “I am very excited to add these historic grounds to my portfolio,” said Berinov who is already the shadow owner of several properties in the U.K. including one British football team, three shell companies, and five London flats. 

Berinov, whose two daughters and one unacknowledged son attend Oxford, said that he is looking forward to having his money spend more time near his kids. “I like the location of the Hall right on St. Gile’s Street where my two or so children can walk up the road and see what a massive fortune and political impunity can get you,” said Berinov. 

Former students of St. Benet’s Hall wrote a letter in protest saying, “we do not wish our beloved Hall to become a playground for a Russian billionaire.” Berinov responded defiantly in a statement reading, “The alumni of St. Benet’s Hall have nothing to worry about. My playground is really my yacht. This place will be more for storing priceless art and other unlisted assets.”

Berinov, who has faced criticism for his connections to the Kremlin, has claimed that he is not a close associate of President Putin, but photos of the two at a Black Sea yacht orgy in 1998 suggest a different story. “I blacked out that day so I didn’t even know he was there,” said Berinov of the event. 

Despite concern from locals and alumni, Berinov has insisted that the historic façade of St. Benet’s will be preserved except for the installation of “three garages,” which will be used to store “a few unlisted luxury vehicles.” 

In a display of good will Berinov has pledged to donate a portion of his fortune to the University of Oxford for the establishment of a Berinov School of Sustainability Science to be endowed in perpetuity. 

Week 0 editorial

Cherwell Editors
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Week 0 editorial

Pieter Garicano, Cherwell Editor-in-Chief:

Sometimes, things are as bad as they seem. A gale descends on the global economy. The energy and cost-of-living crisis will only get worse; the winter appears harsher than expected. After the escalations of the past week, nuclear exchanges are a real possibility. In the face of this, what can we begin to do?

Usually, Oxford is its very own form of escapism. Elsewhere, September means a return to reality. For us the opposite is true. The vacation ends, and we return to our bubble. Life here revolves around degree classifications, park end and tutorial essays. COVID gravely disrupted Oxford but did not shatter the illusion. Life here had changed. But it definitely, still, wasn’t like outside.

This Michaelmas is different. It is hard to escape the crisis gripping our surroundings. The cost-of-living crisis means student life is hard, with colleges raising rents above what many can afford. Some have already been forced to drop out. The energy crisis means that those living out this year will face a trade-off between habitability and other basic necessities. The world we graduate in will be poorer and less certain than the one we matriculated out of. For those following the Ukraine crisis, the increasing likelihood that Russia deploys nuclear weapons can become an obsession.

Willful ignorance is an easy response. Enjoying the bliss while it lasts can help cope. The bliss can even be extended; for those graduating this year, staying in higher education is more and more attractive. Extremely contracyclical, academia is stable as the rest of the world changes. Yet, this option can be hard to justify. Wilful ignorance is ignorance of the suffering in the communities around us, be it Iranian students worried about loved ones at home or faculty members struggling to make rent.

Neither should we sink into depressed apathy. Many problems don’t solve themselves, and others are entirely out of our control. Obsessing over armageddon as a student isn’t exactly helpful. Perhaps, there is a third way, one which is clear-eyed about the difficulties facing the world, without collapsing into paralysis. More mindful of those who are struggling, but focused on doing what we can. Reject both hedonism and cynicism, and make the best of the bubble bursting.

Leah Mitchell, Cherwell Editor-in-Chief:

Beginnings and endings have been on my mind a lot lately. Putting together the Cherwell freshers’ guide as I began the new academic year and my own Cherwell editorship, yet in the knowledge that I was embarking on the final year of my undergraduate degree, provoked in me a bittersweet mix of emotions. In some ways the start of every Michaelmas Term feels to me a little like being a fresher again; I arrive in Oxford after just long enough of an absence to see it once more with renewed, hopeful eyes, and envision the year ahead with a freshly galvanised optimism – this WILL be the year I nail a healthy work-life balance! There is after all nothing more beautifully innocent than meticulously planning a schedule. In addition, my moving back to Oxford this term coincided with Rosh Hashanah, or Jewish New Year. Early autumn has long seemed to me more appropriate for the commencement of a new year than the middle of winter in any case – perhaps in large part owing to my many years in the education system, but I feel it also has something to do with the crisp promise that permeates the air from September through to October. As the leaves change, it seems natural that something inside us does too.

Every new chapter necessitates the closing of an old one. This is always a little sad, in the way that nostalgia is – the classicist in me feels compelled to note the etymological relationship to the Greek for “grief”. Additionally, what is ahead often seems daunting and unknown; but, crucially, it is also an open stretch of unspoilt possibility and promise.

Oxford is what you make of it, as is really everything; this Michaelmas, let us all embrace the spirit of freshers again, swapping all-too-easy jaded cynicism for bright-eyed eagerness and wonder. Let us try to approach the world and each other with a little more curiosity and openness. Perhaps what some might term naivety is really at its core a beautiful expansiveness. This term, I want to reach into it with both arms.

It’s not rocket science: Alyssa Carson on the journey to being an astronaut

Sonya Ribner
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It’s not rocket science: Alyssa Carson on the journey to being an astronaut

Alyssa Carson is an Astrobiology major with a rocket license. She’s doing Astrophysics homework at the Florida Institute of Technology and visiting the launch drill of the NASA SLS Artemis I rocket next week (the official launch is set for November 12). She is in the process of filling out grad school applications and curating educational and engaging content for her over half a million Instagram followers of @nasablueberry. She is 21 and the face of the Mars Generation.

“I think of myself as Hannah Montana with the best of both worlds,” Alyssa tells Cherwell. She has one foot in and one foot out of this world. Like so many of us in our final year of undergraduate studies, Alyssa is busy building her resume – only the job application is directed to NASA’s next call for astronauts. 

Alyssa smiles at the “Astronaut in Training” title commonly given to her on the internet and in the media. The term is not an official designation as it may appear but an indication of Alyssa’s groundbreaking work positioning her to be included in the crews of the first Mars missions. At only 12 years old, Alyssa sat on the NASA Mer (Mars Exploration Rover) 10 panel to discuss future missions to Mars in 2030. By nineteen, she was an aquanaut, skydiver, pilot, fluent in four languages (English, French, Spanish, and Mandarin), and the youngest person to graduate from the Advanced Space Academy located at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Last year, Alyssa received her certification in applied astronautics from Project PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere), a space and science research organization, that certifies her to do a suborbital research flight. In addition to her impressive flight and diving certifications, Alyssa is the author of two books, So You Want to be an Astronaut? (2018) and Ready for Liftoff: Becoming an Astronaut of the Mars Generation (2022), a partner of brands such as Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, and Alpha Industries on space-inspired fashion, and a global speaker at TED conferences. 

So how do you become an astronaut? It turns out that one of the best ways is studying what you love. Alyssa balances her professional obligations – “the NASA blueberry calendar” (a reference to her social media username) – with being a college student. She chose her major of Astrobiology because she enjoys that the course incorporates various scientific disciplines: “Planetary Formation” has Astrophysics components while “Origin of Life” deals mostly with Biology and “Core Components of Life” is heavily based in Chemistry. For Alyssa, course work isn’t isolated to classroom experience; she draws upon her mental toughness acquired from years of pushing herself past her physical limits to motivate her through all-nighters for tests too. Alyssa laughs, “The first time I jumped out by myself when I was getting my skydiving license, we had to completely go around the jumping off point because I was so scared. With big goals [from doing well on a microbiology assignment to becoming an astronaut], it helps to break things into smaller goals to tackle them.” 

One of these goals is making STEM study and research a more inclusive space. While Alyssa enjoyed her courses and appreciated her professors’ insights, she noted the “inevitable drop-off” of women in STEM over the course of her studies. She is currently an advocate for increased representation of people of all backgrounds in STEM. When Alyssa started at Florida Tech, the class composition was approximately “70% male students to 30% female students. It was intimidating and silencing when I was a freshman starting out in Astrobiology and I was one of two girls in almost all my classes.” 

Through her platforms on Instagram and TikTok, Alyssa is working to boost intellectual curiosity among people of all backgrounds from an early age. She keeps her followers updated on all things extraterrestrial – from interesting discoveries she’s made in an Astrobiology lab at university to fashion and educational partnerships that show the multifaceted ways people can participate in and get excited about space exploration. A more recent post alerted followers to her latest series with Varsity Tutors entitled “The Search for Alien Life” where Alyssa conducts an interactive class answering such questions as how to look for and where to find life forms in space. 

“STEM needs more attention. There are big words, it can get complicated very fast. You can study Astrophysics but then it’s like – okay, what does that mean? What does Astrophysics look like as a career? The next step is to show kids what these jobs look like: Are you working in a lab? Are you working on a laptop studying data? When people of all backgrounds can envision themselves passionate about the work, they may seek avenues at a young age to get involved in the work.” Like the rest of her student cohort in the Mars Generation (a group of teenagers gathered at NASA’s space camp determined to have their boots be the first on the red planet), Alyssa knows the mission to Mars hinges on public interest as the moon landing did in the 1960s. Alyssa’s social media accounts make abstruse scientific subjects more accessible. The information she shares appeals to youth who might not necessarily follow the latest breakthroughs in extraterrestrial discoveries, and her compelling content also increase enthusiasm for space adventure.

“I’ve never had an interest in being a content creator or influencer. I was essentially just posting cool things I did and hoped people would find them interesting, too. It’s just to show people that you can do anything you set your mind to at a young age – essentially, that space is an attainable goal.” When Alyssa shares the launch drill of Artemis I, she gives her followers an inside look at NASA’s first test of deep space explorations systems with the Orion Spacecraft. The new space travel vehicle is designed to go farther than humans have ever traveled, with the ultimate goal of putting humans in Mars. 

Alyssa says that she wrote her books because unlike pre-professional paths such as becoming a lawyer or a doctor, there is no Astronaut School graduate option. “I like to think of [becoming an astronaut] as more of a destination – somewhere that you can perform a job. You have to go to school and study some form of profession to be able to become an astronaut. And there’s no right or wrong way to do it.” But Alyssa gravitates towards real life experience in both academic and extracurricular activities. Not only did Project PoSSUM allow her to get experience with the mental and physical toughness of space exploration at a young age, but she loves her current Astrophysics professor because he gives “very real-world experience.” Even though Astrophysics is not Alyssa’s main area of interest, learning about stellar evolution and looking at high resolution photos of star nurseries is one more step to placing a person on Mars. 

Since beginning her studies at Florida Tech, Alyssa has witnessed an uptick of female students in her classes. A recent study by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) found that in 2020 women represented 45% of students majoring in STEM fields, up from 40% in 2010 and 34% in 1994. And the trend is increasing. For her own part, Alyssa received the Florida Institute of Technology’s Student Catalyst Award celebrating her work to increase women’s participation and development in the school community this past academic year. She says that there is clearly more work that needs to be done, but she is proud of the improvements at her university.

To the Oxford students who are looking ahead and trying to figure out what to do with their lives, Alyssa tells us not to be afraid of our dreams that seem out of reach – or out of this world. “When I was a kid, saying I wanted to go to Mars, sounded very unrealistic. The more I’ve worked toward it, the more it’s becoming a reality.” 

Staring unflinchingly into galaxies far away, Alyssa looks forward to the commercialization of space because it presents positive competition to the national space exploration projects. “After the Space Shuttle Program ended [in 2011], many saw space as kind of closed. It’s been exciting over the past couple years to see the commercialization of space.” This is particularly relevant considering Russia’s recent withdrawal from the International Space Station. In addition, China’s announcement of its three moon-mining missions raises questions as to whether the moon may be the next geopolitical frontier. Russia and China both have yet to sign the Artemis Accords, a NASA-sponsored bilateral agreement between the United States and the governments of 21 other countries to support the American-led effort of putting humans on the moon in 2025, with the ultimate goal of expanding space exploration to Mars. Given the increased politicization of space and NASA’s plan to deorbit the International Space Station by 2030, Alyssa believes it is up to the next generation of astronauts to view putting humans on Mars – whether through a company or governmental organization – as humanity’s accomplishment. 

For Alyssa, reaching for the stars – no matter what your profession – is a no brainer. “We just have to push to make it happen.”

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