Sally Miller Gearhart

Passions

Vocation

American teacher, feminist, science fiction writer, and political activist. In 1973 she became the first open lesbian to obtain a tenure-track faculty position when she was hired by San Francisco State University, where she helped establish one of the first women and gender study programs in the country. She later became a nationally known gay rights activist. In 1978, Gearhart fought alongside Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay politicians in the U.S., to defeat California Proposition 6, known as the "Briggs Initiative." Gearhart famously debated John Briggs, attacking the initiative to ban homosexuals from academic positions. Also in 1978 her most famous novel, The Wanderground, was published. She has also written two books as part of the Earthkeep trilogy, The Kanshou (2002) and The Magister (2003). Link to Wikipedia biography