Brian Callahan, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Lillian Lemmer, Hypatia Software Organization

Gender and racial diversity initiatives have been an important social force in the free software movement in the last several years. These social justice campaigns have been successful: see for example PyCon. However, those further marginalized, such as transgender hackers, may not feel properly included in these initiatives. They have turned to free software as a model for their own liberation as well as a way to critique the culture of the status quo and mainstream diversity initiatives.

This talk, co-given by a trans hacker and an anthropologist, highlights how free software offers powerful models and critiques of the lack of gender diversity in the free software movement by retelling several ethnographic stories of a free software project led by and comprised of trans women.

By presenting these ethnographic stories we wish to springboard with the audience a conversation of the value of challenges from below to diversity initiatives in free software and the tech industry at large.