Column: IBM apologizes for firing a transgender pioneer, 52 years late

  • 📰 latimes
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 85 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Qulity Score:
  • News: 37%
  • Publisher: 82%

“For me personally, [IBM's apology] brings a lot of closure,” computer science pioneer Lynn Conway told columnist hiltzikm. “It ties things up ... and it shows a path forward.'

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

It was not so long ago that one could count on certain familiar guideposts of business: Xerox was the dominant provider of office equipment, Sears the biggest retailer, General Electric the leading manufacturer of, well, almost everything, and you couldn’t take a photograph without Kodak.

“They thought they were doing the right thing,” Conway told me. “I’m sure in his own mind, T.J. Watson Jr. thought so. He was responsible for a corporation.” Gender transition and sex reassignment surgery were alien concepts at the time. The family went on welfare for three months. Conway’s wife barred her from contact with her daughters. She would not see them again for 14 years.

VLSI fostered a revolution in computer microprocessor design that included the Pentium chip, which would power millions of PCs. Conway spread the VLSI gospel by creating a system in which students taking courses at MIT and other technical institutions could get their sample designs rendered in silicon.Professional and academic accolades began to accumulate.

Conway’s record of professional achievement and personal growth, along with her engineer’s clear-eyed contemplation of the world around her, helped her to look back on her experience at IBM without rancor — “I don’t go around holding grudges,” she says. “That’s just bad karma.”She was aware, moreover, that IBM had become a leader in its support of transgender employees. But there was something missing in her relationship with IBM.

“One thing 2020 has taught all of us is that we have a lot to learn when it comes to creating an inclusive workplace in society,” Gherson said. “We know there is much work to be done. So we are here today not only to celebrate you as a world renowned innovator and IBM alum, but also to learn from you — and by so doing create a more inclusive workplace in society.”For Conway, the event points to a way that society can redress historical wrongs without sweeping them under the rug.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 11. in US
 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

hiltzikm Her dismissal was totally wrong. What people *are* in their *private lives* is no ones business as long as it's lawful and follows the constitution.

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.