Sean O'Keefe was the administrator of NASA in 2002. He announced at the time that NASA's next telescope would be named after James Webb.
NASA was headed by James E. Webb from 1960 to 1968. At that time the world saw the moon landings of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in the Apollo missions.
James Webb observed the Mercury project from 1958 to 1963 and the Gemini project from 1964 to 1967.
The presidents of the United States at that time were John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Before that, James Webb worked for Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States.
The New York Times wrote that James Webb was a genius in space science. However, some of his actions still remain controversial.
In the 1950s, the Truman government's regime became known as the 'Lavender Scare'. From the late 1940s to the 1960s, thousands of civil servants were either fired or forced to leave their jobs for identifying as gay.
LGBTQ historian David K Johnson's book 'The Lavender Scare' was published in 2004.
James Webb worked with Truman and the Senate Committee at the time. Their duty was to list gay employees in government service.
In March 2021, an article by four astronomers citing Johnson's book was published in Scientific American magazine. James Webb was anti-LGBTQ, so the telescope should be renamed - that was their argument.
NASA Administrator James E. Webb behind President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Image: NASA
The editorial described James Webb as "complex by nature, and its worst manifestation was the discrimination against homosexuals in the federal government."
James Webb fired NASA employee Clifford Norton for being gay. After the incident in 1963, Norton sued and was convicted in 1969.
A University of New Hampshire physicist has had mixed reactions after NASA released images from the James Webb Space Telescope
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an assistant professor of science. He is one of the four authors of the article published in Scientific American magazine.
Describing the matter as "bittersweet," Chanda Prescod-Weinstein tweeted, "I'm so excited to see these new photos. But I'm also angry at NASA headquarters.
"NASA has repeatedly avoided the issue. Everyone knows about the web. Such a great observatory will be named after him - he is not that worthy."
James Webb Space Telescope. Photo: Reuters
NASA Astrophysics Division chief Paul Herz contacted more than 10 astronomers in April last year to get their opinion on the name change.
"They're going to be upset if we don't change the name," said Paul Herz, "none of them told me that."
A 40-minute documentary from the consultancy Just Space Alliance was released after the new NASA images emerged; There is evidence of James Webb's anti-LGBTQ activities.
Will the name of the telescope change?
The article, written by Lucian Wakowicz, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Brian Nord and Sarah Turtle, was titled – “James Webb Space Telescope to be renamed.”
A few scientists led by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein also initiated a petition last year. Requesting to change the name of the telescope, 1,700 people signed the petition. Most of them are involved in astronomy or related work.
According to a report in India Times, even within NASA, many people think that James Webb's name should be removed from the telescope.
In the wake of constant attention, NASA promised to look into the matter last September.
Later, Bill Nelson, the company's manager, said they did not see any need to change the name.
In March of this year, the science journal Nature presented extensive evidence of mail circulation within NASA about whether the name will be changed or not.
In the email, Herz also wrote to her manager that none of the people who made the comments were from the LGBT community.
But when Herz was questioned by Nature magazine, he said that he had discussed the matter with members of various organizations, including those from the LGBTQ community.
A full report was requested from NASA's Astrophysics Advisory Committee in November 2021.
Former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe argued in an email at the time that what happened at that time was not James Webb's decision alone.
However, the critics did not stop.
In their comments, "If James Webb is not to blame for mistakes, why should he be praised for good deeds?"
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