The Tech Celebrates Pride Month

Lynn Conway was a pioneering engineer who transformed microchip design and became a powerful advocate for transgender visibility and rights. Born in New York, she studied physics at MIT before earning degrees in electrical engineering from Columbia University. Throughout her career, she held many influential roles at top companies and institutions of higher learning, earning numerous honors, patents, as well as election to the National Academy of Engineering. 

Despite having no prior experience in microchips, Conway helped revolutionize chip design in the 1970s alongside Caltech professor Carver Mead at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Their work simplified and standardized VLSI design, making microchip engineering more accessible and training a new generation of innovators through what became known as the Mead-Conway revolution.

Conway joined the University of Michigan Engineering faculty in 1985 as associate dean for instruction and instructional technology. Even after retiring in 1998, she remained an active and valued member of the community, mentoring faculty, speaking at events, and connecting with students. As one of the first Americans to undergo a modern gender transition, she later became a prominent advocate for transgender rights and for greater representation of women in STEM.

Zanele Muholi is an internationally acclaimed photographer and self-described visual activist whose work centers on documenting and celebrating South Africa’s Black LGBTQ+ communities. Born and raised in Umlazi, South Africa, they grew up in a large family during apartheid and were raised primarily by extended relatives. Muholi studied photography in Johannesburg, earned an MFA in Documentary Media from Toronto Metropolitan University, and became internationally recognized for documenting Black LGBTQ+ identity and activism in post-apartheid South Africa. In 2013, they were named Honorary Professor of video and photography at the University of the Arts Bremen in Germany.

Specializing in both photographs and sculptures, the breadth of Muholi’s career spans intimate portraits and community archives to powerful self-portraits exploring race, identity, labor, and gender politics. Muholi’s creations challenge stereotypes, honor resilience, and amplify voices often marginalized or erased. Through their artistry, Muholi highlights both the violence faced by queer individuals and the strength, beauty, and resilience within these communities. They also co-founded the Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW), an organization created to support and provide safe community spaces for Black lesbian women.