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Comment by BuildTheRobots | Hacker News Reader

> I’m on the board overseeing Linux graphics. Half of us are trans. If all you care about is Linux, resist the attacks on trans people. > If you have any decency, fight back.

https://web.archive.org/web/20250520182445/https://rosenzwei...

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By the way, out of pure curiosity, why does it seem that there are a disproportionately high amount of super talented trans programmers? I mean, trans people make up for a relatively small percentage of the general populace so it would be unlikely for half of any random group, even if it's only 7 people, to be trans. There are even memes like programmer socks etc. I also personally know several very proficient programmers who are trans.

I am nowhere near an expert or even a particularly well-informed person here, but my idle speculation is that online technical spaces are a place where you can have much more freedom in comfortably choosing the outward persona you wish to present. In meatspace, if your physical appearances and your chosen persona don't match up in ways that some people find disagreeable, many people will go out of their way to let you know it.

Edit: I'm proposing a selection effect here, where people with these challenges gravitate towards spaces and communities where they don't feel confronted by them as often.

But by this logic roughly half of the population is trans, but the vast majority are afraid to present as such. The actual number of trans people is surely impossible to know due to these societal pressures but I find it hard to believe that almost half of the population is trans. I suspect there are other factors.

My read is that post is not arguing what you think (that it's caused by freedom to present how they feel and that it's a representative population) but instead that it's caused by a selection effect. But this argument is implied so I see why you mistook it.

That's correct. I suspect there's a selection effect where people who struggle with these challenges in their lives find comfort in a space where they can present as the person they want to be without constantly being questioned, attacked, or otherwise made uncomfortable. And that's not because this industry is more enlightened, but because it's much easier to contribute and participate only with an online persona that can be divorced from your physical characteristics.

I hope it's clear that I am not trying to speak authoritatively and that this is more or less a total guess on my part based on some pretty superficial analysis.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc. I think your logic is backwards. Parent isn't saying the freedom of online technical spaces turns people trans, but that trans people in those spaces are more likely to make themselves obvious because of the freedoms.

There's also high overlaps between trans and non-neurotypical types. I'd suggest there's the same crossover between non-neurotypical and tech circles so makes sense there's a higher instance of trans in tech.

I'd also suggest that on some level coming out as trans is basically hacker mentality. "This hardware/wetware doesn't look/perform correctly. Let me get a soldering iron/rewrite some code/clothing/hormones/surgery and change that."

> disproportionately high amount of super talented trans programmers

Could it be that they also happen to be autistic? There appears to be a pattern I've noticed where a large number of trans developers are also autistic. This may be responsible for a lot of the passion and dedication required to work on projects like this. (Mostly video game) Emulation is another field that seems to have a similar overlap. Some might say Rust is another one.

I'm unclear what the relevance of this comment is. It's by the same author but doesn't seem to bear any relevance to the M1 GPU.

The author is incredibly talented, and has done the community with a valuable service; one that the HN crowd especially is likely to benefit from.

Many people in her situation are not lucky enough to be in a mental or physical position to be able to pursue this sort of work or take advantage of their talent, and that is in large part due to the persistent and long-standing discrimination trans people face.

Even if one is totally self-interested, it pays not to discriminate. Even if one can't muster up even a little decency to not discriminate because, ya know, it's wrong.

I agree. But I wouldn't have known that the author was trans had the commenter not pointed it out. My thoughts about the original article are unchanged, but if the goal is to not discriminate, then pointing out a feature that many people would discriminate against seems counterintuitive imo.

If the original commenter said something like "it's inspiring that a trans person could overcome all odds and have such an accomplishment" then that comment has value. Randomly pointing out that the author is trans with zero context has no positive value.

Their quote was easily translated for me:

“Asahi Linux wouldn’t exist without trans people. No one realizes how much Linux progress, and especially how much Linux graphics/gpu progress, hinges on trans people. Perhaps the selfish motivation of wanting Linux to succeed will make HN readers less placidly tolerant of trans hate in the future.”

But, as one of those “wait, you’re trans?!” people who silently contributes to projects without labeling myself, I get how it could be confusing. Hope that helps!

Thanks! I understood the quote in itself, but the OP quoting it with no additional context could have had two connotations: one nefarious (don't bother with this article because it was written by a trans person with an agenda) or one of positivity (Linux wouldn't be where it is now without trans people).

I always hope for the latter, but context and mood are impossible to communicate easily online which is why I was asking for clarification.

There’s a lot of value in selecting the best faith interpretation and then replying in that context; for those silent readers who might be confused, it helps clear up their confusion to the disfavor of any underhandedness — which is then forced to either identify itself plainly (and promptly get flagged) or lose the battle and move on.

That's good advice.

Not the OP but my guess is that they want to raise awareness that people who are making significant technical contributions in our field are affected by the actions of the US administration. Not that exceptionally talented people deserve more legal protections, but the reality is that our industry would be worse off without people like Alyssa.

I know it can be at times grating to constantly hear about stuff like this, but I can assure you folks like Alyssa would rather focus on techie stuff rather than have to ask for help so they can stay safe. For them that worry is now always present and it’s not something they can ignore.

Thanks. I agree with your sentiment. But the OP just posted a random quote from one of her blog posts with no context. It could have either been to raise awareness about her being trans (honestly I'd have never known had it not been for the comment), or to discount the original article because she is trans.

I hope it was the former, but that's why I didn't want to just assume the OPs intention.

> I’m 21 now. I’ll be blunt: if not for gender-affirming care, I don’t know if I would be around. If there would be FOSS graphics drivers for Mali-T860 or the Apple M1.

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