Category Archives: Sally Ride

Sally Ride to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

Sally Ride, gay news, Washington Blade

Lesbian astronaut Sally Ride will posthumously receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom (Photo public domain)

 

Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut to travel in space, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the White House announced on Monday. The award is the country’s highest civilian honor. After her death last July, it was disclosed in her obituaries that she had a partner of 27 years, Tammy O’Shaughnessy.

“We remember Sally Ride not just as a national hero, but as a role model to generations of young women,” President Obama said in a statement. “Sally inspired us to reach for the stars, and she advocated for a greater focus on the science, technology, engineering and math that would help us get there. Sally showed us that there are no limits to what we can achieve, and I look forward to welcoming her family to the White House as we celebrate her life and legacy.”

According to the White House, Ride’s partner, mother, and sister were notified last week of the president’s decision to give the late astronaut the award. Additionally, the White House said more honorees will be named in the coming weeks and the awards will be presented at a White House ceremony later this year.

In related news, the White House is set to honor 10 openly LGBT Americans on Wednesday for their public service as part of its “Harvey Milk Champions of Change” event.

The event falls on Harvey Milk’s birthday and almost four years after when the gay rights pioneer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“When President Obama posthumously awarded Harvey Milk the Medal of Freedom in 2009, he praised his leadership and courage in running for office,” said Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the president. “Today, we honor Harvey Milk’s legacy in these ten outstanding public servants, who will surely inspire the next generation of public servants.”

A list of honorees follows. One of the awardees, Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin, was profiled in the Washington Blade during his unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2011.

* Simone Bell, Georgia State Representative, Atlanta, Ga.

* Angie Buhl O’Donnell, South Dakota State Senator, Sioux Falls, S.D

* Karen Clark, Minnesota State Representative, South Minneapolis, Minn

* Michael Gin, Mayor of Redondo Beach, Redondo Beach, Calif.

* Kim Coco Iwamoto, Hawaii State Civil Rights Commissioner, Honolulu, Hawaii,

* John Laird, Calif. Secretary of Natural Resources, Santa Cruz, Calif.

* Ricardo Lara, California State Senator, Long Beach, Calif.

* Kim Painter, Johnson Country Recorder, Iowa City, Iowa

* Chris Seelbach, Cincinnati City Council Member, Cincinnati, Ohio;

* Pat Steadman, Colorado State Senator, Denver, Colo.

The event will be livestreamed here starting Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Moon crash site named for Sally Ride

Sally Ride, gay news, Washington Blade

America’s first female astronaut in space, Sally Ride, posthumously came out as a lesbian through the official obituary posted to her foundation’s site after passing away following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. (Photo public domain)

PASADENA, Calif. — NASA announced this week the site where two satellites studying the moon were intentionally crashed to study the moon’s interior would be named for the late Sally Ride.

The satellites — which while still in orbit around the moon had allowed students to take their own pictures of the moon’s surface thanks to a partnership with Ride’s foundation — were crashed into the moon to help study the make-up of the lower layers of the body’s crust. After the planned crash, NASA announced the site would be named for the late astronaut, who was revealed to be gay and partnered in her obituary published after her death earlier this year.

“It’s really cool to know that when you look up now at the moon there’s this little corner of the moon that’s named after Sally,” Ride’s sister, Rev. Bear Ride, told the San Diego Union Tribune.