The more I think about this, the funner it gets, and the more respect for her I have. One now gets to wonder whether NASA knew she was gay when they sent her off as the first woman in space, and whether this figured into their plans:
The Guys: So. Here we are in space. Sally Ride: Whoa. You said it. The Guys: So, Sal. We've got sort of a pool going here. We're the first gender-mixed crew in the history of the US space mission. Thus we have the first opportunity to have Space Sex. You in? Sally Ride: Guys, I hate to break it to you, but... [http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/07/sally-ride-nasa.j\ pg] --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote: > > I've seen few people in recent years go out with as much style as Sally > Ride, America's first woman in space. This is a very sweet article. > Chick-Fil-A, go fuck yourselves. > Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, comes out in obituaryOn > Monday, Sally Ride, 61, died of pancreatic cancer. > In an obituary <https://www.sallyridescience.com/sallyride/bio> > celebrating her life, Sally, the first American woman to enter space, > came out. One simple sentence made public her 27-year romantic > relationship with a woman: > > "In addition to Tam O'Shaughnessy, her partner of 27 years, Sally is > survived by her mother, Joyce; her sister, Bear; her niece, Caitlin, and > nephew, Whitney; her staff of 40 at Sally Ride Science; and many > friends and colleagues around the country," the obituary on Sally's > site, Sally Ride Science, said > <https://www.sallyridescience.com/sallyride/bio> . > > Sally's sister, Bear, confirmed the revelation on BuzzFeed: > > "I hope it makes it easier for kids growing up gay that they know that > another one of their heroes was like them," Bear said > <http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/first-female-us-astronaut-sally-ri\ \ > de-comes-out> in the interview. > > Sally first met her partner, O'Shaughnessy > <https://www.sallyridescience.com/bios/oshaughnessy.html> , when they > were 12-year-olds playing tennis > <https://www.sallyridescience.com/node/1059> . The friends-turned-lovers > have co-written a series of science books for children. > > Sally married astronaut Steven Hawley in 1982. They divorced in 1987. > They had no children. > > Bear said > <http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/first-female-us-astronaut-sally-ri\ \ > de-comes-out> her sister was famously private. "Sally didn't use > labels. Sally had a very fundamental sense of privacy, it was just her > nature, because we're Norwegians, through and through." She did not > publicly reveal her struggle with pancreatic cancer, either. Sally > Ride's memorial fund <https://www.sallyridescience.com/sallyride/memory> > is in support of pancreatic cancer research. > > "The pancreatic cancer community is going to be absolutely thrilled > that there's now this advocate that they didn't know about. And, I hope > the GLBT community feels the same," Bear, who identifies as gay, told > <http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/first-female-us-astronaut-sally-ri\ \ > de-comes-out> BuzzFeed. > > As for why Sally didn't use her fame to take a stand on LGBT rights, > Bear insists Sally's greatest passion was science education for > children. > > "That wasn't her battle of choice the battle of choice was science > education for kids. And I just hope that all the different components of > Sally's life go towards helping kids," Bear told > <http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2012/07/former_astronaut_sally_r\ \ > ide_re.php> The New Times Broward Palm Beach. > > "Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism and > literally changed the face of America's space program," former astronaut > Charles Bolden told > <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/9422228/Sally-Ride-Americas-fi\ \ > rst-woman-in-space-dies-aged-61.html> The Telegraph. > > Sally Ride was the first American woman to enter space. She remains the > youngest American <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Ride> to enter > space, at 32. And now we know she was the first lesbian in space, too. > > Even in death, Sally Ride broke barriers. >
