my jaw dropped when I first read about rachel carson’s decade-long relationship with dorothy freeman. rachel (or ray, to her friends) first saw the ocean while working in woods hole, ma, and I had worked for years within walking distance of a statue in her honor. I knew her as a marine biologist, a conservationist, and a trailblazer, but the history books left out a key component of her identity: her great love. even worse—if there was any mention of dorothy, it was simply as a “good friend.”

our queer elders is designed to elevate and celebrate the stories of the icons who have queered gender and societal norms throughout history.

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