52 years later: IBM apologizes for firing tech pioneer, former UM professor for coming out as trans
Conway was a trailblazer in technology and transgender rights. She was fired from IBM in 1968 before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that transgender people are included in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “Pretty much immediately fired,” Conway recalled. “Because of what happened, the way it happened, I didn’t see my kids again until they were adults,” Conway said. In 2020, 52 years after Conway was fired, IBM awarded her with a lifetime achievement award and apologized.