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
Contents:
- WHY SALLY RI WAED UNTIL HER ATH TO TELL THE WORLD SHE WAS GAY
- WHY AREN'T THERE ANY OPENLY GAY ASTRONTS?
- WHY AREN'T THERE ANY OPENLY GAY ASTRONTS?
- WHY AREN'T THERE ANY OPENLY GAY ASTRONTS?
- SALLY RI FIRST OPENLY GAY ASTRONT
- WHO WAS THE FIRST GAY ASTRONT?
- GAY ASTRONTS: A FAL FRONTIER
WHY SALLY RI WAED UNTIL HER ATH TO TELL THE WORLD SHE WAS GAY
* gay astronaut *
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 AREN'T THERE ANY OPENLY GAY ASTRONTS?
The announcement of Sally Ri's ath ma her the first openly gay astront, albe posthumoly. Why are there no others? * gay astronaut *
Why not straights and gays? (I'm g the term "gay" here as admtedly aquate shorthand for the LGBT muny.
The lack of even one openly gay or lbian livg astront the history of Amerin spaceflight may reflect the culture at the NASA astront office.
WHY AREN'T THERE ANY OPENLY GAY ASTRONTS?
There has never been an openly gay or lbian astront at NASA. Sally Ri's legacy uld change that. * gay astronaut *
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 yterday.
Gay rights advot say Sally Ri's addn to the ranks of LGBT role mols will make a tremendo impact. 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 noted.
WHY AREN'T THERE ANY OPENLY GAY ASTRONTS?
While there are thoands of astronts, many of them have not been open about their sexualy. Sally Ri, the first woman space, now also serv as the first openly gay astront. Ri, who recently passed away, was revealed to be a lbian the obuary of her anizatn's webse. * gay astronaut *
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. The repeal of DADT last year allowed gays and lbians to serve openly the U.
5 Myths About Gay People Debunked. Can People Stop Beg Gay? "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.
SALLY RI FIRST OPENLY GAY ASTRONT
)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.
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. The Out Astront Project addrs the unr-reprentatn of Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Queer (LGBTQ+) people science and space.
WHO WAS THE FIRST GAY ASTRONT?
More than 40 percent of LGBTQ people STEM are not out and gay and bisexual stunts are ls likely to follow an amic reer. "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 advot say Sally Ri's addn to the ranks of LGBT role mols will make a tremendo impact.
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. 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. Sally Ri, the first woman space, now also serv as the first openly gay astront.
“I hope mak easier for kids growg up gay that they know that another one of their hero was like them, ” said her sister, Bear Ri. Ary operated unr a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy om 1993 until 2011, unr which gay and lbian ary workers were to keep their sexualy private or be expelled.
GAY ASTRONTS: A FAL FRONTIER
Who would be the first openly gay astront? ”Gay Amerins were persecuted throughout the 1960s, the when astronts first flew. Cocintally, was the summer of 1969, when NASA triumphed wh s Apollo 11 moon landg, that the Stonewall rts New York began an assertive time of grassroots prott and mand for equal rights for gay and trans for perhaps a few untri who have yet to put their first cizen orb, there are few personal firsts left to claim.
Gay astronts would not always have been wele the space programs of the world, and many plac would still not be. In the Soviet Unn, beg gay was a crimal offense: any gay smonts om that era, if any exist, have kept secret.
Sce the fall of the Soviet Unn, no smonts have publicly intified themselv as gay eher. Michelle Evans is a rpected space historian and thor, as well as an expert advote for LGBTQ (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Queer) issu. Their biggt worry is that anizg protts favor of gay and trans rights might lead to larger protts agast the untry’s learship — and this is somethg that will not be tolerated.