sally ride

President Obama announced Monday his intent to bestow a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom to astronaut Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, whose obituary revealed that she is survived by her female partner of 27 years.

Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, passed away at the age of 61, leaving behind her longtime female partner.

The first woman (and possibly the first LGBT person) in space will receive a posthumous honor from the President today.

Google's doodle pays homage to the first female NASA astronaut, who was revealed to be lesbian following her death.

The death of astronaut Sally Ride this week and the revelation that she was in a long-term lesbian relationship have allies, including her sister, highlighting the discrimination that same-sex couples face, and prompting discussion about what it’s like to be gay in the space program. Bear Ride, herself a lesbian, appeared on Current TV’s The Young Turks With Cenk Uygur Tuesday to note how the Defense of Marriage Act denies benefits to gay couples. She added that Ride and her partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, had a California domestic partnership and “were in something of a privileged position” when it came to taking care of each other legally.

The world knew Sally Ride as a pioneer for women in science after she became the first American woman to go into space in 1983. What the world didn’t know is that Ride spent the last 27 years of her life in a relationship with another woman. According to a Buzzfeed interview with Bear Ride, her sister Sally was a private person, but she didn’t hide her relationship from her family and it was never a source of controversy. Regarding her sister’s sexual orientation, Bear said Sally didn’t use labels.

After years of wondering what’s next in the world of toys comes the heady news that SexToy.com will be leading a team to launch the first vibrating adult sex toy into space on October 8, 2011. Of course, we’re not sure if the gurus at SexToy.com asked NASA what Sally Ride might have snuck into her overnight bag, but so far the space agency isn’t disputing the company’s claim to be the winner of the horny space race.The space craft will be equipped with a still and video camera that will send images of its best selling vibrator back to Earth. The company says that “rigorous experimentation” with the toy led scientists to develop a way to send the vibrator into space.

It's been a big year for out women in the news, from the election of the first out U.S. Senator — who just happens to be a lesbian from Wisconsin — to the House of Representatives' first bisexual member, or Oregon's first out lesbian Speaker of the House.

On the eve of National Women's day, news broke that prominent feminist and out bisexual Kate Millett will be inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame

Do a cluster of risk factors explain the high number of cancer deaths?

Oklahoma state representative Sally Kern and her challenger Brittany Novotny don't agree on much, but neither supports one of the more contentious issues in their state this Election Day: State Question 744. The mailer also points out that Novotny is unmarried, chair of the LGBT Caucus of Oklahoma, and supports marriage equality as defining traits. Kern, on the other hand "supports traditional marriage (between a man and women [sic])" and touts that she is the wife of a preacher.