CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Rters) - Sally Ri was the first U.S. woman space and a role mol for women everywhere. But one group had to wa until her ath this week to claim her as a member - the gay muny.
Contents:
- WHY SALLY RI WAED UNTIL HER ATH TO TELL THE WORLD SHE WAS GAY
- AFTER ATH, SALLY RI REVEALS SHE WAS GAY
- WHY AREN'T THERE ANY OPENLY GAY ASTRONTS?
- SALLY RI DIDN'T WANT TO BE A GAY IN
- GAY OR NOT GAY? SALLY RI
WHY SALLY RI WAED UNTIL HER ATH TO TELL THE WORLD SHE WAS GAY
In life, Sally Ri beme famo as Ameri's first woman space — and ath, she's now add to her fame as the first acknowledged gay revelatn me a low-key way: Monday's obuary om Sally Ri Science, the tnal venture she found a ago, referred to Tam O'Shghnsy as "her partner of 27 years." A spokwoman for Sally Ri Science, Terry McEntee, s * sally ride gay *
Amerin Library AssociatnIn life, Sally Ri beme famo as Ameri's first woman space — and ath, she's now add to her fame as the first acknowledged gay revelatn me a low-key way: Monday's obuary om Sally Ri Science, the tnal venture she found a ago, referred to Tam O'Shghnsy as "her partner of 27 years. "Bear, a gay Prbyterian mister, tak a different approach.
"I'm a rather out-there advote for LGBT [lbian-gay-bisexual-transgenr] rights — my partner and I have even been arrted a uple of tim public prott! I hope mak easier for kids growg up gay that they know that another one of their hero was like them.
Is any surprise, then, that no active or former astronts have publicly announced that they're gay? Why not straights and gays? (I'm g the term "gay" here as admtedly aquate shorthand for the LGBT muny.
AFTER ATH, SALLY RI REVEALS SHE WAS GAY
Sally Ri was the first U.S. woman space and a role mol for women everywhere. But one group had to wa until her ath this week to claim her as a member - the gay muny. * sally ride gay *
But one group had to wa until her ath this week to claim her as a member - the gay a statement prepared before her ath on Monday of pancreatic ncer, Ri, 61, acknowledged publicly for the first time that she had a longstandg relatnship wh a woman, Tam O’Shghnsy, who was her partner bs, science wrg and astront’s webse, Sally Ri Science, listed O’Shghnsy, Ri’s partner for nearly 30 years, as a survivor.
WHY AREN'T THERE ANY OPENLY GAY ASTRONTS?
* sally ride gay *
“It was a role which she was never fully fortable, ” Hawley Human Rights Campaign, the largt lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr civil rights group the Uned Stat, posted a tribute to Sally Ri on the ont page of s webse on Tuday.
SALLY RI DIDN'T WANT TO BE A GAY IN
But one group had to wa until her ath this week to claim her as a member - the gay a statement prepared before her ath on Monday of pancreatic ncer, Ri, 61, acknowledged publicly for the first time that she had a longstandg relatnship wh a woman, Tam O'Shghnsy, who was her partner bs, science wrg and astront's webse, Sally Ri Science, listed O'Shghnsy, Ri's partner for nearly 30 years, as a survivor. “"It was a role which she was never fully fortable, " Hawley Human Rights Campaign, the largt lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr civil rights group the Uned Stat, posted a tribute to Sally Ri on the ont page of s webse on Tuday. Related: Why Aren't There Any Openly Gay Astronts?
O'Shghnsy said that seemed to her that "Anne McCla is aaid of beg who she really is bee she's aaid that she won't get the excg opportuni if people know that she's a gay relatnship.
"There's that fear that 'if I'm hont about who I am and tell others that I'm gay, then maybe I won't get promoted, maybe I won't get to fly space, maybe I won't be able to walk on the moon' … I thk that if there are other astronts who are members of the LGBTQ muny or aspirg men and women out there who are members of the muny and who are applyg to bee an astront, you know my sense is they're gonna be worried about beg open, " O'Shghnsy said. Only one is publicly known to have been gay or bisexual — Sally Ri — and she kept private until her ath, yterday (July 23), when her obuary on the Sally Ri Science anizatn's webse stated that Ri was survived by Tam O'Shghnsy, her "partner of 27 years. "I hope mak easier for kids growg up gay that they know that another one of their hero was like them, " Bear Ri, who intifi as gay, told Buzzfeed Rights Campaign print Chad Griff ncurred, tellg Buzzfeed, "The fact that Sally Ri was a lbian will further help round out Amerins' unrstandg of the ntributns of LGBT Amerins to our untry.
GAY OR NOT GAY? SALLY RI
But the lack of even one openly gay or lbian astront the history of Amerin spaceflight may reflect the culture at the NASA astront office. Still, the fact remas that no astronts have ever e out as gay or lbian, while many astronts clu mentn of their hbands, wiv or children on their NASA official bgraphy pag.
)Cassutt said even though he spects there are or have been some other gay or lbian astronts, and spe of the progrs ma on LGBT issu, "I don't expect anyone the current rps to be 'out' any time soon, assumg anyone is gay. ' While there are a great many more people who are openly gay today, we are not yet to a pot of universal acceptance, " he is also the fact that 219 of the 330 current and former astronts served the ary, acrdg to NASA.
Ary operated unr a "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy om 1993 until 2011, unr which gay and lbian servicemen and women had to rema closeted or risk expulsn.