April 26th is Lesbian Visibility Day, a day dedicated to discussing discrimination faced by lesbians as well as their contributions to society in arts, culture, politics, science, and beyond. Lesbians experience a specific form of marginalization, experiencing a combination of homophobia and misogyny, and there is much more work to be done to achieve equality for all.
This Lesbian Visibility Day, take the time to learn more about lesbian icons in history and in the present. There are many lesbian women who have lived fascinating lives, but today we will be highlighting three.
Sally Ride
With the Artemis II mission making headlines this year, the first female astronaut had to make this list. Sally Ride was the third woman to ever go to space (following two cosmonauts), and the first woman from the United States. She was known to be competent, cool under pressure, and acted as a whistleblower on the investigation panel when the Challenger exploded in 1986. She also had a 47 year relationship with her partner Tam O’Shaughnessy until her death in 2012, and is currently the only publicly known gay astronaut. She kept this part of her life private, with only her closest friends and family knowing about her relationship until it was quietly revealed in her obituary. Sally Ride and Tam O’Shaughnessy wrote children’s science books together, and in 2001 created Sally Ride Science together, a science education foundation for students.
For any fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, you may have heard of her latest book, Atmosphere. Reid often takes inspiration from specific decades and historical figures, and it is easy to see the inspiration she took from Sally Ride’s life. The main character of Atmosphere is Joan, a woman who joins the space program after seeing a recruitment film and falls in love with another astronaut in her program. The book is heartfelt, joyful, and a very fun read, and all the more interesting for its connections to a real-life icon.
Libby Davies
Libby Davies is a Canadian former MP from British Columbia. She began as a community organizer, held a seat in the Vancouver city council, and would go on to serve six terms in BC parliament. She served one of Vancouver’s poorest areas, and spent that time fighting for affordable housing, addiction resources, safety for sex workers, and the rights of the working class. She also encourages others to stand up and use their political voice. In her words, “Over the years, [I’ve] always wanted it to be part of my work to help break down some of those walls and barriers and to show people that if they use their voice, there is incredible opportunity to influence the political agenda and change what goes on.”
Libby Davies is the first lesbian MP in Canada in 2001, and one of the first LGBTQ+ Canadian MP overall, coming out after MP Svend Robinson in 1988, and MP Réal Ménard in 1994. She came out during a parliamentary debate on a proposed bill to legalize gay marriage. While that bill failed, gay marriage would be legalized in Canada four years later.
Rev. Irene Monroe
Reverend Irene Monroe is a black feminist lesbian theologian. She is a syndicated religious columnist, has a radio show/podcast called All Revved Up! On NPR, and continues to work as a preacher and officiant.
As Monroe states, “my columns are an interdisciplinary approach drawing on critical race theory, African American, queer and religious studies. As a religion columnist I try to inform the public of the role religion plays in discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Because homophobia is both a hatred of the “other ” and it’s usually acted upon ‘in the name of religion,” by reporting religion in the news I aim to highlight how religious intolerance and fundamentalism not only shatters the goal of American democracy, but also aids in perpetuating other forms of oppression such as racism, sexism, classism and anti-Semitism.”
Her works have broached various topics over the years, featuring discussions of current U.S. politics, Ryan Coogler's Sinners (2025), and Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street. Her articles are thoughtful, informative, and well worth your time.