Lynn Conway's Retrospective (2003)

To whoever submitted this, thank you so much for doing so. Seeing how long it has been up, I regret not finding it earlier. My teenage me would have needed this story even more than me now.

I can't stop crying. The stigma, shame; the mask. All those kind people living somewhere in the society around you, but not being able to reach out to them for fear of reprisal. Conversely, the condemnation without ever meeting you or anyone of your 'kind'.

Her struggle in all those little details is so creepily recognizable to me. Some days more than others. Only it's in this day and age, and with a different 'deviancy' most will readily denounce, even only for fear of association, and many times due to a lack of knowledge. The upside these days is the accessibility and reach of anonymous communication. "You are not alone" helped me avoid suicide when I was fourteen, found out and thought I was all alone.

It gives so much comfort and hope to read her story overcoming it. Then, I might even dare to think I will be able to overcome it as well in my lifetime.

As a trans woman, I found the first few chapters absolutely heart-wrenching. I look up to Lynn so much.

I remember reading Introduction to VLSI when I was a student and it is still one of my favourite books. I always thought of Carver Mead and Lynn Conway as electrical engineering and computer science magicians who not only invented a new type of tech magic but then pulled off a small miracle by making it accessible and understandable with a thoroughly great book.

Michael Hiltziks excellent book, Dealers of Lightening, touches on Lynn's career at Xerox PARC (Dealers is one of the better history's of early innovation at Xerox PARC). However I had no idea of Lynn's full life story and her incredible life journey or the myriad of challenges she had overcome. Not only a brilliant innovative engineer and awesome educator but a truly remarkable person. @tofu-fu thanks for submitting this.

I find this article highly inspirational and will now consider to become trangender thank you for sharing this tale about transgenderism