Pioneer in Computers

Every year from November 13th to 19th, people and organizations around the country participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise visibility of transgender people and address issues members of the community face. This leads up to Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, which memorializes victims of transphobic violence.

This morning I was going to write about why there needs to be equality for our trans sisters and brothers.  I was going to write here about ending the hate and ending the violence.  All of that is certainly important, and I implore you to open your hearts and treat all people like people.  It's really that simple.

I want to say something here though about Lynn Conway, an 83-year-old professor emerita at the University of Michigan College of Engineering, a pioneer in the tech world, and a transgender activist. Back in 2009, Conway was named one of the Stonewall 40 Trans Heroes on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and seven years ago she was featured as one of Time magazine's 21 Transgender People Who Influenced American Culture.  Way before that though, she was fired from her job at a major computer firm, simply for being transgender, and for the next thirty years, Conway hid being transgender.

Despite her great work in the tech industry, her life was tough. Hiding your identity is not an easy thing to do. Losing a good paying job also takes its toll. When she came out though, the world was a better place. Last month there was finally an apology from that firm that fired her. It was an apology made during a companywide cyber-meeting that Conway had been invited to participate in. That day they also presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award.  Change is slowly happening.