This editorial originally appeared in the San Francisco Bay Times on August 23, 2012, and republished in the Fall 202 Issue of The NOGLSTP Bulletin.
If Only the World Had Known Sally Ride Was Gay
by Barbara Belmont
When Sally Ride became the first US woman astronaut, I was thrilled for so many reasons. Finally, our country was sending a woman into space! And this woman in particular was a physicist, which meant she was, well, probably, a nerd, just like me. She had that certain tone of voice that tickled my nascent gaydar, so I hoped she was a lesbian, just like me. That fantasy was quickly put aside when I read that she was married to another astronaut. “Oh well,” I thought. “A Woman Astronaut Scientist. Three out of four is enough to look up to.”
And I didn’t give it another thought until I read of Ride’s death from pancreatic cancer this summer. My wife and I always try to read between the lines in the obituaries, looking for clues of queerness through innuendo and litany of survivors, looking for hints of people like us. In this case, there it was: “survived by her partner…” The sadness we felt at the loss of a great role model to girls everywhere was quickly replaced by the conspirational thrill of discovery of another overlooked lesbian relationship.
And then, a different kind of sadness evolved -- a sadness of lost opportunities. If only the world had known Sally Ride was gay, we LGBT scientists might have enjoyed more visibility and recognition. If we had known, we could have had a mentor-muse, our role-model, a …spokesperson! Ah. But Sally Ride was a very private person, and would never have agreed to being such an icon.
Fortunately, this lesbian scientist has another outlet for networking with people of a like mind. I am a proud member of National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals, also known as NOGLSTP. Pronounce it Naw’-gull-step. This non-profit organization empowers LGBT individuals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by providing education, advocacy, professional development, networking, and peer support. It also educates all communities regarding scientific, technological, and medical concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people.
Like Sally Ride, most of us LGBT people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) are very focused on our careers. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of scientific discovery and engineering challenges, and those endeavors themselves bring immense satisfaction to our lives. It’s easy to keep our private lives separate from our professional lives, and historically that’s what has been expected of us in the STEM professions. The consequence is that people in the STEM world are surprised to learn that there are queers among them, and people in the LGBT world are surprised to learn there are scientists and engineers among them. It doesn’t help matters that the STEM professions represent only 6% of all jobs (reference 1). With a little less than 4% of the adult population identifying as LGBT (reference 2), this means the chance of meeting an actual LGBT person in science or engineering is slim. (The teacher in me encourages you to do the math). We LGBT STEMfolk are undercounted and invisible, but not for much longer. As our society begins to value science and scientists, we will finally be noticed.
In the meantime, NOGLSTP seeks to make the STEM professions a welcoming and inclusive space for LGBT people, as well as help fill the STEM career pipeline with LGBT people. We accomplish these goals by organizing symposia to explain LGBT concerns to the scientific community, organizing events to explain science to the LGBT community, providing visibility and inspiration through our Recognition Awards Program, providing resources to students and early career professionals through our Scholarship and Mentoring programs, networking and collaborating with various professional societies, and through career advocacy workshops and summits. We are particularly proud of our signature event, Out to Innovate™, a bi-annual weekend career summit for LGBT people in STEM. Inspired by Obama’s Educate to Innovate program, Out to Innovate™ brings young LGBT in STEM together with seasoned LGBT STEM professionals for workshops, mentoring, networking, and career advice. All this has been developed by volunteers with day jobs who want the upcoming LGBT generations to know that it truly does get better.
Perhaps if Sally Ride had heard of NOGLSTP, she would have joined our cause. Maybe she would have met some fellow physicists who were out of the closet. Maybe they would have inspired her to mentor a science-minded youngster who thought they were the only queer kid in the calculus class. Perhaps she, too, could have enjoyed practicing science with PRIDE!
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