Did you know that the first American woman into space was part of the LGBTQ+ community? Or that the first woman to ever coach a team to the Super Bowl is openly gay?
Women do incredible things every day, from orbiting the planet to coaching in the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl, but often don’t get enough credit for all the great contributions they make.
This Women’s History Month we want to take the opportunity to highlight some incredible LGBTQ+ women who have made waves wherever they’ve gone.
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Sally Ride
Sally made history as the first American woman to go into space in 1983. Aboard the STS-7 space shuttle Challenger, the Los Angeles native served as a Mission Specialist. Her crew was in charge of launching commercial communications satellites into orbit.
Following her work with NASA, she and her partner Tam O’Shaughnessy co-founded Sally Ride Science, a science program and publishing company for young students. Together Sally and Tam wrote books that encouraged children to study science.
Louise Lawrence
Lousie Lawrence began living as her authentic self in 1942 in Northern California. The transgender trailblazer is best known for educating doctors on how to treat transgender patients. She even aided Dr. Alfred Kinsey, famous sexologist and author of Sexual Behavior in the Human Male and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female, in his understanding of non-binary folks.
Louise co-created the early edition of the magazine, Transvestia, alongside Virginia Prince and others. She compiled a comprehensive list of people in the United States who were known to be “transvestites” (a term that was used at the time refer to anyone who expressed gender counter to the binary norms prescribed by their sex assigned at birth), which was useful in reaching a subscriber base.
In her honor, the Louise Lawrence Transgender Archives of Northern California, works to bolster the understanding of trans people by making transgender historical materials available to the public.
Gladys Bentley
Gladys Bentley was an American performer from Harlem who brought her signature tux, top hat, and deep voice to the prohibition-era stage. The African American, openly lesbian, blues singer was well known for her risqué lyrics and audience engagement.
She owned the stage with her larger-than-life performances but was often criticized for her unorthodox attire for the time. The entertainer was often marketed as a “male impersonator,” though according to Gladys, she simply preferred suits to dresses and was not bound by gender conformity, nor sexuality.
Gladys pushed many expectations of her time, but during the age of McCarthyism, in rising fear of homophobia, she began to wear dresses and presented herself in a way that conformed with society’s expectations. Nevertheless, she remains a symbol of gender non-conformity to this day.
In 2019, The New York Times featured Gladys Bentley in its Overlooked Series of significant individuals whose deaths were unreported.
Frida Kahlo
Mexican painter Frida Kahlo is famously known for her self-portraits and unwavering ability to portray women in their true form. In her work, the bisexual icon often critiqued the patriarchal society into which she was born by going against the expected norms. Frida painted honestly. In her self-portraits, she represented herself authentically, and was quoted saying, “I won’t curb my self-expression to meet your expectations of how a woman should look.”
At age six, polio left Frida’s right leg malformed, and at age eighteen, her pain was worsened when a bus accident fractured her pelvis, leg, and numerous parts of her spine. Her artwork openly showcased her struggles with her disabilities, depression, infertility, and chronic pain.
Frida, who lived between 1907 and 1954, began to gain recognition in the late 1970s for her bold statements. Now, she stands as an icon for feminists, the LGBTQ+ community, and those with the courage to be authentically themselves.
Katie Sowers
Katie Sowers coached the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. She is not only the first and only woman to coach a team in the Super Bowl, but also the first openly gay person to coach in the NFL. The former coach worked as an Offensive Assistant when she brought her team to the largest stage in American football.
Katie herself is a former professional football player for the Women’s Football Alliance, where she played as a quarterback and a defensive back. As a member of the U.S. National Team, she helped win gold in the Women’s World Championships in 2013.
As a professional coach on a major athletic stage, she propels other women, and especially gay women, toward success. She is a role model for others who wish to follow their dreams and an example that there are no boundaries to what people can achieve.
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