Pioneering astronaut Sally Ride has died of pancreatic cancer at 61. Did I miss her coming out or did it happen today in her obituary? Her partner of 27 years, Dr. Tam O'Shaughnessy, does not mention their personal relationship in her long bio on Sally Ride Science. Sally's obit posted today to the site does include their partnership; her official NASA bio doesn't. Before this afternoon, her wikipedia page had no LGBT tags.
Our community has faced many challenges in the 29 years since her first space shuttle mission. The visible support and leading example of a national hero could only have helped. She chose to stay closeted and silent.
Even more stressful than being lovers, Sally and Tam were co-authors; their books include Voyager: An Adventure to the Edge of the Solar System
UPDATE: Brian points to this article in which the astronaut's sister Bear Ride, also gay, says Sally "never hid her relationship with Tam," and "Sally didn't use labels." Bear adds, "I hope it makes it easier for kids growing up gay that they know that another one of their heroes was like them." Maybe yes, and that's great. Or maybe queer kids today want their heroes to be out.
Closeted, silent and career-minded. A bad example for young people. "Didn't like labels," my ass. A flawed hero at best.
Posted by: Elliott Mackle | July 24, 2012 at 10:52 AM
Yeah, may she rest in peace, but fuck her.
Posted by: Edward | July 25, 2012 at 04:12 AM
You two are out of your minds. The real struggle for gay rights and equality is to make a person's LGBT status insignificant. You really want to demonize a woman for choosing to live her life privately with her partner and for being career driven?
Posted by: Respect | July 25, 2012 at 02:54 PM
Dear respect: we are a long way from status insignificance, and as much as I'd like to relegate the most private aspect of my life moot and beside the point, I cannot so long as people, politics and power want to legislate me out of existance. Are you living under a rock? Sally Ride could not in life justifiably court celebrity and at the same time deny a fundamental fact about her life that would impact significantly the perception of gay people by both gays and straights. In a perfect world, yes. I don't know about you, but I don't inhabit a perfect world. In my opinion, we are obliged to change perceptions, one voice at a time. You're correct in one sense: it was her decision to remain closeted. But her silence bespeaks shame, not modesty.
Posted by: Edward | July 26, 2012 at 03:28 AM
We both want the same thing in the end, I just think there is a direct way and a subtle way and Sally choose the subtle way due to her unique situation. She was a profound example of how gays are everywhere in our society, and gay people are simply just people. She devoted the second half of her life to science education and unfortunately science books written by lesbians being used in public schools is a direct call to arms for a segment of our population. This is my guess for why she stayed closeted. A prestigious astronaut leading science advancement programs would quickly change to a lesbian corrupting youth in public schools. And though I believe she could have powered through that, it undoubtably would have set her whole organization back. The anti-gay lobbies are too strong. Which brings me to my perfect world, where if an American citizen does not believe in equal rights for all American citizens, then his citizenship is revoked and he gets deported.
Posted by: Respect | July 26, 2012 at 09:24 AM
Yeah, may she rest in peace, but fuck her.
+1
Posted by: hotel a paris | October 08, 2012 at 08:10 AM
Previously we have been witnessed a number of lesbian around the world but first lesbian in the space "Sally Ride" who will be remembered as the first women reaching space, as today she is not among us but her stories and experience were sharing in all over the world.
Posted by: John | October 19, 2012 at 02:49 AM