Interesting, certainly, to find out that a technically accomplished womaan is actually transgendered. It is also interesting (and perhaps relevant) to know that she accomplished these things in an environment where she was percieved as male, and therefore had none of the friction and other problems or issues that might be encountered by women in such a male dominated field. It's great that she was able to keep her role, and was accepted as a woman afterwards, as well.
It also seems to be more likely (than in other fields) to find trans woman in IT, but I worry that this is simply confirmation bias at work? I wonder if there is any research on the relative statistics of trans folk in the IT industry?
EDIT: Thinking about it, perhaps it is just that, as with the GP comment, people are more likely to bring the fact up in a field like IT, where 'facts' are held as more important, and in other areas it would simply be ignored or not mentioned?
The relevance is that Roger Wilson was a notable figure in the 80s and 90s -- he and Steve Furber were a powerhouse team. As far as I know, she transitioned to Sophie after her rise to notability, and she's quite a private person, so it's likely that many people who are very familiar with Roger's work will never have heard of Sophie.
It's an important clarification, just like we call the artist that insists on using a new graphic symbol for his stage name "the artist formerly known as Prince".
How else are we going to keep track of one person's name changes over the years? It's just common sense, really.
It also seems to be more likely (than in other fields) to find trans woman in IT, but I worry that this is simply confirmation bias at work? I wonder if there is any research on the relative statistics of trans folk in the IT industry?
EDIT: Thinking about it, perhaps it is just that, as with the GP comment, people are more likely to bring the fact up in a field like IT, where 'facts' are held as more important, and in other areas it would simply be ignored or not mentioned?