The First Out Pansexual Astronaut in Space
Cameron Bess, 23, became the first pansexual person – and the first furry – to venture into the final frontier in billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space shuttle on Dec. 11, according to the UK newspaper, Independent.
Bess joins NASA astronauts Sally Ride and Anne McClain as one of the first LGBTQ+ explorers of the final frontiers. However, Bess was publicly out and proud before stepping on the space shuttle launchpad.
They experienced those 11 memorable minutes with their father, Lane Bess, and the rest of the crew, which included Good Morning America co-host Michael Strahan and Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of Alan Shephard, who was the first American to go into space in 1961.
As part of the first parent-child duo to fly into space, Cameron Bess said they grew up watching their father launch model rockets as a child, and when he was offered the opportunity to fulfill that dream with Blue Origin, their father wanted to bring them along for the ride.
The furry influencer understood the gravity of taking this huge leap into space as the first pansexual commercial astronaut. In an interview before the flight on Space.com, Bess said, “My entire life I’ve wanted to make people who feel like they didn’t have a place feel welcome.”
A week before the Blue Origin NS-19 flight, Bess pledged that they would bring a pansexual Pride flag and paw from their fur suit, which they were not able to fully wear during the mission. However, that didn’t stop them from donning the full furry suit in a fun post on their Twitter account, @MeepsKitten, after they landed.
“I know many people have told me it means a lot to see a pansexuality flag in space,” said Bess in an interview with Xtra, a Canadian LGBTQ publication. “I’m just happy to provide visibility.”
