Historical Icons Who Weren't Actually Straight Ep. 4 - Sally Ride

It’s LGBTQIA+ History Month and it’s time to celebrate Historical Icons who weren’t actually straight! Today we shine a spotlight on the first American woman to go to space, Sally Ride! Join us as we explore being LGBTQIA+ during their period of time they lived. Join Target in celebrating LGBTQIA+ History Month by learning about iconic historical figures and their change-making journeys! #TakePride

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MUSIC

Licensed via Audio Network
SFX Provided By AudioBlocks

STILLS
Vulture Festival LA Presented by AT&T - Day 1
Joe Scarnici/Getty Images
Space Shuttle Astronaut Sally Ride
Bettmann/Getty Images
STS-41-G
Space Frontiers/Getty Images
Girl Scout Lily Nelson of Troop 153 in Northern Virgina, mee
Tom Williams/Getty Images
Students from the School of History and Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles cheer during a dedication cere
Mel Melcon/Getty Images
NASA Astronaut Debrief
Space Frontiers/Getty Images
Portrait Of Astronaut Candidates
Interim Archives/Getty Images
US-VOTE-DEMOCRATS-CONVENTION
SAUL LOEB/Getty Images

EXTERNAL CREDITS
Benjamin Du

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Jared Norby

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Erin Chack

[SketchyCreaseURL]

for those who ask why this matters... of course her achievements matter. but identity matters too, especially in terms of representation. one cant be blind to such things, because there is a difference between a straight person and an lgbt person achieving things- an lgbt person must push past social stigma in the background of their achievements, while a straight person has no such issues. with lgbt people being a minority, with so few in a heteronormative society, having figures like her being lgbt brings much needed rpresentation. she stands as hero, who demonstrates just how lgbt people are just as capable of havinf such achievements as anyone else, similar to how she stands as a hero to women around the world

[christina]

This is so cool! I’m actually related to her (she’s a relative on my grandmother’s side) and it’s so cool to learn more about her and what a strong person she was ❤️

[mariomario]

Don't care about her sexuality. That's not what defines what she did.

[XCLR]

I didn't need to know she was gay to respect her. I always have. I do understand the importance of informing some people of this fact. I can't wait to go into space.

[abarrick]

I'm curious why their sexual orientation is even

[huntielle]

"Ride demonstrated that LGBTQ people...can do incredible things in ... jobs" - She said it like LGBTQ people are lacking some qualities that straight people have and it makes them inferior, but EVEN THEY can achieve something. And don't you want equality? Then stop differentiating yourselves. Also, your sexual orientation is not a personal trait

[Dracoon]

What a wonderful woman, may she rest in peace

[allytsui]

it bothers me the title has the word “actually” in it.

[joshx]

Historical icons that I never had any interest of their sexuality. Wait. Still don't. Only care about their achievements..

[Gigachad-mcqz]

Oh wow you guys are smart. Focusing on if theyre straight or not rather than their achievements. Great work

[emilymann]

a lot of people say they don't care but then take the time to leave a comment on this video 🙄 just don't watch it then

[jonnyquest]

This is one of the most buzzfeed things I've ever seen, truly embarrassing.

[StephaniexBecca]

Who cares about Sally’s sexuality? I respected her for what she did, not her sexuality. Her sexuality doesn’t define her and since I knew her personally, she wouldn’t want “Oh, I was a lesbian” to be her legacy and she sure enough didn’t want to be remembered for that. So many people have lost sight of that since her passing. Before then, people simply respected her for what she did. She simply wanted to be remembered as a woman who wasn’t afraid to do what she did, not for her sexuality. A lot of the honors that she has received unfortunately after her death had something to do with the fact that she was gay. And besides, Tam even mentioned that they didn’t like labels. To this day, I still respect Dr. Ride, but I only see her accomplishments. Mainly because her personal life didn’t matter to me because it was none of my own business. Now, I fully identify as a bisexual woman, but I don’t want to be remembered for that. I’d want to be remembered for the change I created, not my personal business. Now, hopefully, I’ve summed up how just about everyone feels about Sally’s legacy now.

[brunoruiz]

What? Is this actually a thing? There's already other 3 episodes?

[klashdrake]

Who cares if they were or weren't straight? Lmao yall say it shouldn't matter what sexual orientation you are then make videos like this

[EraOrinPons]

"Oh my God, who the hell cares!"
- Peter Griffin

[nickgilmer]

Sally Ride - *doesnt want her accomplishments recognized just for being unique

Buzzfeed - imma pretend I didn’t hear that

[zachcrawford]

Does anyone actually care whether she was gay or not? It seems like a weird thing to focus on. What does being gay have to do with being good at riding a rocket? Okay, other than the awesome pun opportunities there if the person is a guy lol. Being gay isn't a disability (unless you are trying to breed, I guess). If someone said "Wayne Gretzky is an amazing hockey player but did you know he is actually straight!?" wouldn't that just seem odd?

[MichellesdesignsEtc]

Why would I want to know her sexual orientation? I don't know about her but I like gentlemen 😂😅

[relwalker]

“Aaaand she was 🎶 🎶” I love that so much lol