Dr. Oliver Haimson on Trans Technologies: Fireside Chat (Online Event)

Please register on Eventbrite.

This event will include a short lecture by Dr. Oliver Haimson about his new book Trans Technologies. It will be followed by a fireside chat and then an audience Q and A.

Trans Technologies (MIT Press, 2025) describes how technology creates new possibilities for transgender people, and how trans experiences, in turn, create new possibilities for technology. Mainstream technologies often exclude or marginalize transgender users, but when trans creators take technology design into their own hands, transformative possibilities emerge. Through in-depth interviews with over 100 creators of trans technology—including apps, games, health resources, extended reality systems, and supplies designed to address challenges trans people face—I uncover what trans technology means and explore its possibilities, limitations, and future prospects. I examine the design processes that brought these technologies to life, the role of community in their creation, and how they empower trans individuals to create their own tools to navigate a world that often fails to meet trans needs. This work highlights the successes and limitations of current trans technologies, identifies gaps still to be addressed, and investigates how privilege, race, and access to resources shape which trans technologies are created, who benefits, and who may be left out. Finally, I chart new directions for design and innovation to drive meaningful social change, inviting us to rethink the relationship between technology and marginalized communities.

This event is a special pop up event, following after the conclusion of the 7th Season of Disrupting Disruptions: the Feminist and Accessible Publishing and Communications Technologies Speaker and Workshop Series, organized by Dr. Alex Ketchum. Our series was made possible thanks to our sponsors: SSHRC, Digital Citizen Research, the Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (IGSF), the DIGS Lab, Milieux, Initiative for Indigenous Futures, ReQEF, and more.

There is no fee required to attend this event.

You can watch other past events here.