In Memoriam: Sally M. Gearhart, Professor Emerita of Communication Studies

Thursday, July 15, 2021
Sally Gearhart smiling while clenching her right hand near her face
Photo by Silvia Turchin

BAY AREA REPORTER -- Sally Miller Gearhart, the first out lesbian to receive a tenure-track position at San Francisco State University and a beloved LGBTQ rights advocate, died July 14, according to Jean Crosby, who sent out an email to friends. She was 90.

In 1973, Ms. Gearhart received the tenure-track position at SF State. She established one of the first women’s and gender studies programs in the country while at the University, and was a leading LGBTQ activist throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Feed