A Hero Died Today...
Dr. Sally Ride was the first female to fly in the space shuttle. I always kinda thought of her as a hero because, deep in my heart of hearts, I wanted to BE an astronaut. My father worked for the company that made the moon lander cameras, and thanks to that, I got to meet some astronauts and touch moon rocks, and was given things (yeah, looking back, they prolly were classified, and at the least I really should never have actually KEPT them as they are long since lost to time, but hell, I adored them... my tiny sliver of moonrock and picture taken with the very camera my father made, handed to me by Buzz Aldrin ::grin::) and all in all, I wanted to be the first woman on Barsoom... err... Mars (yeah, I had reality problems even back then).
Time went on and sadly THAT never happened, but I was always one of those people who knows all the stars in the sky and can point things out to you... I knew (theoretically) how to freaking do the launch sequence on the pilot side, knew how to land, knew the food, drink and toilet habits of the shuttle folks and up until we stopped reaching for the stars, was one of those who loved NASA. Sally Ride? One of my heroes. Seriously.
I'm ashamed, though. Deeply and completely ashamed. I did not know, until five minutes ago that Dr. Ride was an proudly out lesbian who was in a TWENTY SEVEN year relationship with her partner. NO ONE is reporting this aspect, as if it's not important... but it IS important to always mention the religious aspect of anyone murdered, and it is ESSENTIAL to mention the wife or husband of every heterosexual important person who dies... but apparently the pain of Dr. Tam O’Shaughnessy isn't important enough to mention. The fact that this was a strong, proud, smart woman who was a true hero is having a whole important aspect of her life swept under the rug because of how people feel about gay couples. Personally, I feel deep shame that I did not KNOW about her, and it renews my stand that, just as children are taught in full about the heterosexual heroes out there, the gay and lesbian ones need to be mentioned AS HAVING BEEN GAY OR LESBIAN in school as well.
Why? That 12 year old girl, knowing that she likes other girls but feeling that there is no one out there to look up to should know that one of the best, the brightest, a woman who touched the stars and came back again to teach and learn about it was just like her... and to be proud of who she is... ALL of who and what she is.
Time went on and sadly THAT never happened, but I was always one of those people who knows all the stars in the sky and can point things out to you... I knew (theoretically) how to freaking do the launch sequence on the pilot side, knew how to land, knew the food, drink and toilet habits of the shuttle folks and up until we stopped reaching for the stars, was one of those who loved NASA. Sally Ride? One of my heroes. Seriously.
I'm ashamed, though. Deeply and completely ashamed. I did not know, until five minutes ago that Dr. Ride was an proudly out lesbian who was in a TWENTY SEVEN year relationship with her partner. NO ONE is reporting this aspect, as if it's not important... but it IS important to always mention the religious aspect of anyone murdered, and it is ESSENTIAL to mention the wife or husband of every heterosexual important person who dies... but apparently the pain of Dr. Tam O’Shaughnessy isn't important enough to mention. The fact that this was a strong, proud, smart woman who was a true hero is having a whole important aspect of her life swept under the rug because of how people feel about gay couples. Personally, I feel deep shame that I did not KNOW about her, and it renews my stand that, just as children are taught in full about the heterosexual heroes out there, the gay and lesbian ones need to be mentioned AS HAVING BEEN GAY OR LESBIAN in school as well.
Why? That 12 year old girl, knowing that she likes other girls but feeling that there is no one out there to look up to should know that one of the best, the brightest, a woman who touched the stars and came back again to teach and learn about it was just like her... and to be proud of who she is... ALL of who and what she is.