Celebrating LGBTQ+ Individuals Who Shaped Modern Technology
At Bear Robotics, we celebrate the identities of all individuals, this month and every month. As a technology company, we understand that many of our innovations were built on technological foundations and contributions from the LGBTQ+ community. Without a diverse set of minds, perspectives, and identities, the forward motion of our field would be severely limited.
To celebrate Pride Month, we’re excited to bring awareness to the innovative contributions of those in the LGBTQ+ community. From Leonardo Da Vinci to George Washington Carver, there have been so many iconic LGBTQ+ scientists, inventors, and artists. To pay our respects to those who’ve helped our industry advance, we’d like to feature three amazing minds that have not only shaped modern technology but have also changed the world as we know it.
Born in London in June 1912, Alan Turing wore a multitude of hats. He was an incredibly accomplished mathematician, logician, and even a philosopher. During World War II, Turning worked for the British code-breaking centre, assisting in the development of algorithms that were used to break Enigma codes from the Nazi party.
Shortly after, he used his extensive knowledge to design the Automatic Computing Engine and the Turing Machine, both of which would set the foundations for modern computing.
Peter Landin was another one of the gifted godfathers of modern computing. Landin is responsible for inventing the stack, environment, control, and dump (SECD) machine. This was an extremely influential computer system intended as a target for functional programming language compilers.
Landin was also an avid gay rights activist and vocal proponent of queer rights, working with the Gay Liberation Front in the 1970s.
A Columbia graduate, Lynn Conway is responsible for solving some of the most complex computer science challenges to date. She was recruited by IBM in the 1960s and invented generalized dynamic instruction handling, a key innovation leveraged by most modern computer processors to improve performance. She’s also responsible for spearheading the Mead–Conway VLSI chip design revolution, which lead to leaps in technological design and had huge impacts throughout the tech sector in the 1980s and 1990s.
Conway experienced gender dysphoria from a young age and was an activist for transgenderism, advocating for equal opportunities and employment protections for transgender individuals in tech.
Doing Our Part
It’s clear that we owe a ton to the LGBTQ+ community, not only as it pertains to our industry but also in how these individuals have shaped so many aspects of our society for the better. As we reflect on these incredible people and accomplishments this month, Bear Robotics is committed to doing its part in fostering an inclusive community for all humans.
Whether it’s initiating internal policies that contribute to an inclusive working environment or simply celebrating our own LGBTQ+ employees, we are dedicated to creating a space that is open to all.
