Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 31, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, June 27, 2014 Page: 11 of 36
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■ nationalnews
Remembering the real Sally Ride
Author Lynn Sherr writes about
how the American astronaut
kept her private life very private
DAVID TAFFETI Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com
Sally Ride made history in 1983 when she be-
came the first American woman in space. But
when she died in 2012, it was one line in her obit-
uary that dominated the news: "She is survived
by her partner of 27 years, Tam O'Shaughnessy."
The heroic astronaut was a lesbian and no one,
outside of a small circle of friends and family,
knew it. She kept quite a few things about her life
private, including her final illness.
One of those surprised by the revelation was
ABC broadcaster Lynn
Sherr. Sherr had been cover-
ing Ride since NASA re-
cruited its first group of
women into the astronaut
corps. Over the years, the
two had become friends, but
she had no idea Ride and
O'Shaughnessy were in a re-
lationship and she didn't
know about Ride's cancer
until the day she died.
Ride fiercely guarded the
truth, Sherr discovered
while writing the new biog-
raphy Sally Ride: America's
First Woman in Space.
When Sherr was in Califor-
nia in the spring of 2012, she
called Ride to plan a get-to-
gether. The day they were
supposed to meet, Ride
phoned Sherr to say she had the stomach flu and
had to cancel. It was only after Ride's death that
Sherr learned from O'Shaughnessy Ride was, in
fact, weak that day from a round of chemotherapy.
Sherr said Ride lived her life on five-year plans.
In college, Ride had a relationship with another
student named Molly. The two loved each other,
Molly told Sherr after Ride's death, but they had
no plans for the relationship to extend beyond col-
lege. Both expected to marry and have children.
After joining NASA, Ride married fellow astro-
naut Steve Hawley. Their marriage lasted five
years.
When O'Shaughnessy and Ride got together,
O'Shaughnessy was ready to commit for the rest
of their lives. Ride could only promise five years,
so every fifth anniversary O'Shaughnessy would
ask Ride if she was ready to re-up for another five.
With the revelation of Ride's sexual orientation
after her death, more criticism came from the
LGBT community than from conservatives. Gays
and lesbians saw it as a missed opportunity to
show what members of the community could ac-
complish. O'Shaughnessy didn't see it that way
— the two were too busy accomplishing other
things.
Ride joined NASA as part of the first group of
astronauts that wasn't white, military, crew-cut,
Christian males, so she understood she was join-
ing an agency that was quite traditional. NASA's
culture was to present a wholesome image of each
of its astronauts. Although many were divorced,
that was something never mentioned in official bi-
ographies.
As late as 1990, the agency tried to ban gays
from the agency. Since that time, things have
changed, and today NASA has an active LGBT
employee resource group.
After leaving NASA in 1987, Ride became di-
rector of the California Space Institute and a pro-
fessor at University of California San Diego. Later,
she and O'Shaughnessy wrote children's books,
and she became president of Sally Ride Science to
encourage girls to take an
interest in math and science.
Sherr said Ride was dis-
crete about her personal life
so that she could reach more
girls. Ride was afraid par-
ents in places like Texas
would refuse to allow their
daughters access to her sci-
ence materials if they knew
she was lesbian.
Despite that, Ride didn't
quite live her life in the
closet, either. Among her
friends was out tennis leg-
end Billie Jean King. The
two met when Ride joined
the tennis circuit after col-
lege. Sherr said she believes
King's experience with a
palimony suit that cost her
all other endorsement deals
contributed to Ride's desire for privacy.
During the 1960s, each of the original seven as-
tronauts became household names. Other than
names remembered from the Challenger and Co-
lumbia disasters, Sally Ride's is about the last
name widely known from the astronaut corps. Al-
though any of the six women hired by NASA
could have been the first American woman in
space, Ride had a special way of relating to the
public. While she joined NASA to do scientific
work, she understood that once chosen to be the
first American woman in space meant becoming
a role model.
Before her first flight, Ride endured questions
like, "Do you weep when things go wrong on the
job?" After the Challenger disaster, she was the
first person appointed to the investigating com-
mission because other expertise and her ability to
relate to the public that would help NASA regain
its credibility.
In Sherr's account, Ride's contributions to sci-
ence and space exploration add up to a list of
achievements for which the LGBT community can
take pride. ■
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Nash, Tammye. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 31, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, June 27, 2014, newspaper, June 27, 2014; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth706843/m1/11/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.