dykesanddykery:

Tam O’Shaughnessy: About Sally Ride’s Partner Of 27 Years

Tam O’Shaughnessy was Sally Ride’s partner for 27 years, but their partnership was cut short Monday when Ride — the first American woman in space — died of pancreatic cancer at just 61 years old.

Sally Ride was an American heroine, looked up to by a generation of science lovers ever since she made history by blasting into space on NASA’s shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983. On that day she became the first American woman in space.

But her longtime partner, Dr. Tam E. O’Shaughnessy, is a very accomplished woman in her own right.

O’Shaughnessy was by Sally Ride’s side throughout the astronaut’s 17-month battle against cancer, and before Ride became ill they co-authored four books, including “Mission: Planet Earth: Our World and Its Climate — and How Humans Are Changing Them” and “Voyager: An Adventure to the Edge of the Solar System.”

O’Shaughnessy, a professor emerita of school psychology at San Diego State University, is also chief operating officer and executive vice president of Sally Ride’s foundation, named Sally Ride Science, where the duo and their staff nurtured young students and worked to encourage them to pursue their passions in science, tech, engineering and math.

Dr. O’Shaughnessy will not receive the benefits due to the spouses of deceased astronauts, because the United States federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage. Nor has she received much mention or recognition for the active role she took in Dr. Ride’s work as the nation mourns.

As we remember Dr. Ride, we also extend our love and sympathy to her loving partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy. Thank you both for all you’ve done.

Lesbian couple to take vows in nation’s first public Buddhist same-sex union

Two devout Buddhist women are to hold the nation’s first gay Buddhist wedding next month as part of an effort to push for the legalization of same-sex marriages in Taiwan.

“We are not only doing it for ourselves, but also for other gays and lesbians,” Fish Huang said in a telephone interview.

The 30-year-old social worker at a non-governmental organization said that marriage never crossed her mind until she saw a movie last year.

The film portrayed two lesbians whose ill-fated relationship concluded after one died and the other was left heartbroken over the denial of spousal benefits.

“It’s so sad,” Huang said, who plans to wed her partner of seven years on Aug. 11 at a Buddhist altar in Taoyuan County.

Both brides are planning to wear white wedding gowns and listen to lectures given by Buddhist masters about marriage, accompanied by a series of chantings and blessings from monks and nuns.

Although homosexual marriages are not legally recognized in Taiwan, Huang insisted on tying the knot because she wants to make her relationship complete and raise awareness about the difficulties faced by sexual minorities.

Alternative sexual orientation and marriage have yet to be widely accepted by the general public, despite years of effort by activists to secure equality in Taiwan.

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(Source: dykesanddykery)

[Image: Photo of two women sitting on steps together, smiling, one giving a thumbs up, holding up a circular sign with a rainbow flag that reads, “The heterosexual’s abuse of power has to end! Equal rights for all =”]

dykesanddykery:

Maya & Margarita

A very kind and lovely married couple. One Colombian, the other Cuban. Been together for 37 years and got married a month ago

dykesanddykery:

Diana King comes out: Prominent Jamaican singer admits to being a lesbian

Internationally acclaimed Jamaican singer, Diana King has taken an unprecedented step within the local music industry as she dropped a bombshell on Thursday, admitting that she is a lesbian.

The highly regarded Reggae singer, known for classics such as Shy Guy, I Say A Little Prayer and L-L-Lies made the confession through a note which she issued on her official Facebook page. It’s a historic moment within the local music industry as she’s the first artiste of note to come out as a homosexual.

In her note, King wrote, “My name is DIANA EUGENA KING, known to most as DIANA KING my fans call me KingSinga.”

“I AM … WOMAN … MOTHER … AUNT … JAMAICAN … AMERICAN … INTERNATIONAL ARTIST … SINGER … SONGWRITER … BAND LEADER … FRIEND … LOVER … ENTREPRENEUR … GODDESS! among other things AND YES!!!…I AM A LESBIAN … the answer to my most asked INDIRECT question. I welcome the “WHO CARES” right now. LOL.”

Read the rest of her note.

[Image: art of two pale-skinned women, one femme and the other butch. The femme is wearing a polkadot dress and straddling the butch’s lap, arms and legs wrapped around each other. They are looking into each other’s eyes.]

sapphicseven:

LOL fuq shadows we dont have them.

(jk ill add them later)

[Image: Photo of a masculine-presenting woman leaning with crossed arms against a slanted tree and smiling. She has short, purple-ish hair and is wearing a loose, white shirt.]

bostondykes:

Aurora. 17. Central Mass.

^ tumblr for queer women in MA

[Image: Photo of a woman riding a yellow Suzuki motorcycle on the street at a dyke march. She is wearing something rainbow-y and frilly, possibly feathers. Bottom of photo reads, “The Atlanta Pride Committee, Inc.”]

(via 2007 - Dyke March - Atlanta Pride)

[Image: Sepia coloured photo of a woman looking away from the camera in a cowboy hat, wearing a plaid shirt, standing next to a wooden fence.]

cassie4 (by rightocaito)

riddleberger:

This is awesome.

d(^-^)b

The Forsaken 2 by ~ohyourface

(via annulla)

(via annulla)

Not sure how these peeps identify, but they are awesome.

Have you hugged a Dyke Today? by *Shinigami-Shimai

by Dawn Hartman