As we celebrate Pride, we’re highlighting LGBTQ+ scientists who have pushed the limits of human knowledge while navigating political, cultural, and economic discrimination. Here are five queer and trans trailblazers worth knowing.
Sally Ride
In 1983, Sally Ride became the youngest American and first American woman to fly in space at 32 years old. She broke these barriers publicly but kept others private. It wasn’t until her 2012 obituary that the world learned she had spent 27 years with her life partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy. In an era when coming out could end a career in the space program, the stakes of visibility were impossibly high. Her sister Bear hopes that knowing Sally was gay gives LGBTQ+ kids one more hero to admire.
Cheryl Barnes
Cheryl Barnes is a marine fisheries scientist whose research shapes how we manage ocean resources and keep local groundfish populations healthy. As a queer, nonbinary, first-generation college grad, they also advocate fiercely for equity and inclusion in STEM.
Alan Turing
Alan Turing was a genius who cracked the Nazi Enigma code during World War II and laid the theoretical groundwork for modern computing. Rather than rewarding the scientist, the British prosecuted him for being gay. After the government convicted Turing of gross indecency and chemically castrated him, Turing died by suicide at 41. The Turing machine he conceived can simulate any algorithm ever written. Every computer running today is, in some sense, his.
Alan L. Hart
Long before most people had heard the word “transgender,” Alan L. Hart was living as himself. After transitioning in 1917, Hart became a physician and radiologist who pioneered the use of X-rays to detect tuberculosis. This technique is still used over 100 years later. He faced rumors and prejudice throughout his life, frequently uprooting his practice to escape turmoil. His story is a reminder that trans people have always existed and shaped our history.
Mark Harrington
When the AIDS crisis, an epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), devastated gay communities in the 1980s and ‘90s, Mark Harrington didn’t wait for the government to intervene. He cofounded the Treatment Action Group (TAG) out of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), pushing for rigorous HIV research and better medications. Diagnosed with HIV himself in 1990, Harrington helped transform HIV/AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition. The antiviral therapies that now allow people with HIV to live long healthy lives owe a debt to his activism.
Want to dig deeper? Each of these figures work connects to exhibits you can explore in person at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Pick up the LGBTQ+ People in STEM Exhibit Expedition by the front desk and follow their inspiring trail through the galleries.
