Sally Ride, R.I.P.

Sally Ride, the first U.S. woman, and the youngest person ever in space, died from cancer earlier this week. She was 61-years-old. She also posthumously came out in an obituary released through her office.

Ride's sexual orientation was confirmed by her sister, Bear, who told the New Times that Ride didn't go public with her sexuality during her life because she was intensely private person and considered sexual orientation no one's business but her own. Although she didn't make a big "HERE I AM! GAY ASTRONAUT SALLY!" announcement to the world, she didn't make an effort to hide it, either. People close to Sally and Tam [her partner of 27 years] knew; the two would go out in public together, attend events together, and Ride's family considered O'Shaugnessy a part of the gang. (Jezebel )

Because of the undercurrent of juiciness in reporting that a pioneer, though an intensely private person, came out only in death, I'm not entirely comfortable with this being the lead, not that we lost an important part of America's, and American women's, history but visibility, particularly visibility outside environments where LGBT people are overwhelmingly accepted (like the entertainment industry) is so important. But her accomplishments are the big story here, not who she slept with. R.I.P.