24/08/2024
Erin Reed at the long standing LGBTQIA+ newspaper the Washington Blade reports that transgender computer pioneer Lynn Conway has passed on to the realm of our LGBTQIA+ ancestors at the age of 86. Her story is nothing short of remarkable. Conway helped pioneer early supercomputers at IBM but was fired after she transitioned. She went “stealth” and had to rebuild her career from the ground up, starting as a contract programmer at Xerox with “no experience.” Then, she did it all over again, pioneering VLSI — a groundbreaking technology that allowed for microchips to be made small enough to fit in your pocket, paving the way for smartphones and personal computers. In 1999, she broke stealth, becoming an outspoken advocate for transgender people. Computer experts noted that she worked on some of the major advancements in computing, and the Washington Blade remarked that the computers behind which transphobic internet trolls hide were largely developed because of Lynn's involvement. Erin in the Morning Blog also said "Conway’s life gave trans people another gift: A visible example that we can grow old, and a reminder that we have always been here. In a world where so many of us have had to hide in silence or stealth, where representation has been denied, and where we are told that our lives will be too dangerous to live, Conway proved that one can be trans and live a long, fulfilling, and proud life."
