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.

Queer Women of Color Poetry Tour Needs Help, Promises A Revival

There’s little left to desire once you learn about The Revival, a salon-style poetry tour that aims to connect hundreds of queer women of color artists and allies. In its third year, the poetry-on-the-go movement holds living room readings with a touring troupe. This year, the tour hits Toronto, DC, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Durham and Brooklyn between October 6 and 13.

But Revival needs everyone’s help - you, everyone you know, your family, your pets, your estranged friends from high school - everyone. With a modest goal of 5,000 dollars for gas, food, performer compensation, and books, they have officially launched a Kickstarter and hope to be done with the whole mess by Tuesday

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(Source: dykesanddykery)

Lesbian Couple Sues to Stop Deportation

A lesbian couple from California filed a class-action federal lawsuit on Thursday to stop the deportation of same-sex spouses, according to the Associated Press.

The suit, filed on behalf of Philippines citizen Jane DeLeon, adds to the list of recent cases in support of immigrants in same-sex marriages who would qualify for legal status if not for the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

DeLeon, an accounting clerk, is eligible for a green card but needs a waiver to show that the separation would cause extreme hardship to an American citizen spouse or parent.

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(Source: dykesanddykery)

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.

Chio-chio-san wanna be with yoo | D.O.Ren [pixiv]

[Image:  An illustration of two, pale skinned women in early 1880’s European wear, one with blonde hair, the other with black hair.  The blonde has one half of her hair cut very short, where the other side drapes at length over her shoulders.  The black haired woman is hugging the blonde from behind with an almost possessive gaze.]

[Image: Watercolor of two women, both pale of skin and long-haired, one with dark hair and a green dress sitting with the other, who wears an orange-red fiery dress and has red curls, girl’s head in her lap. She is stroking her hair.]

(via Lullaby for the Sun by ~Yumemi-chan on deviantART)

[Image: Photo from a pride march of several women holding up a sign that reads “Lésbicas” at the top and something off-camera below that. There are also two smaller red signs that read, “Basta de machismo, racismo e lesbofobia! Um outro mundo é possivel!” and “Sou lésbica e tenho orgulho.”]

Caminhada Lésbica - Dykerama.com (by Lais Mendonça)

[Image: Photo of four smiling women at a pride event. They all have rainbow-y things on their shirts and are holding up a rainbow flag.]

Caminhada Lésbica (by Karol22)

[Image: Watercolor art of two femme, light-skinned women lying together in red and pink flowers, gazing into each other’s eyes, nude but for see-through pink shifts.]

(via Commission: Garden by *Aurasama on deviantART)

[Image: traditional, black and white art of two women, one of whom is nude, embraced beneath and above each other and close to a kiss.]

(via Das Baumherz by ~luca-seraphin on deviantART)

[Image: red-toned art of two classily-dressed women with arms around each other. Script text reads: ‘Vita Sackville-West e Virginia Woolf’]

“Very important Lesbians exhibition, Torre del Lago July 2011” (via Very Important Lesbians by ~lucreline on deviantART)

This is a set of four images. The other three:

[Image: art of two women carrying tomatoes in baskets, one in red and smiling with her arm around the other’s waist. The other is in tan and blushing and looks slightly irritated. The bottom of the image reads ‘yo amo España’]

(via nyotalia Spamano by *TechnoRanma on deviantART)

dykesanddykery:

Wilma Burgess (1939-2003) singing “Sweet Promises” on the Wilburn Brothers Show. Burgess was a lesbian who usually refused to sing love songs that did not leave the gender of the lover ambiguous, although she would sometimes make exceptions as long as her producer promised to also let her pick a song he didn’t like as well. During the ’80s, she also opened Nashville’s first women-only bar, The Hitching Post.

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