Lucianne Walkowicz, an astronomer based at the Adler Planetarium, is suing American Girl because they claim American Girl stole their likeness.

(The header image is a variation on the "gaslight. gatekeep. girlboss." meme criticizing women in positions of power who abuse their power by manipulating those in positions below them or preventing them from being able to advance their careers; especially white women who do this to women of color.)

Some facts:

Lucianne Walkowicz is in their forties, nonbinary, light skinned, and has no known Latinx heritage

Luciana Vega, the character created by American Girl is twelve, identifies as a girl, has tan skin and is Chilean-American.

In the lawsuit, Walkowicz asks that American Girl cease the production of Luciana dolls, books, and accessories. With this request, Walkowicz became a gatekeeper of the STEM fields, fields which are already difficult for women and girls to find their place in due to misogyny. They deny women and girls of Latina heritage who love space and the stars the small nugget of representation that American Girl offers us.

Yes, I say us. I am Latina. My name is Lucie, just one letter off from the nickname used by Luciana Vega. I'm not Chilean. I never got a chance to go to space camp. I struggled with math and science in school. But I once dreamed of going to space. I recognize and love the beauty and mystery of the stars and planets, so I cannot sit idly by while girls and women like me are told they cannot dream of the stars by someone who makes their career studying and lecturing on them.