Alan Turing (1912-1954): English computer scientist, mathematician, and cryptanalyst She later secured a position at Stockholm University with the help of Swedish mathematician Gösta Mittag-Leffler, whom she met through his sister, a woman with whom she had an intimate “romantic friendship” that lasted until Kovalevskaya’s death from influenza at the age of 41. Kovalevskaya became the first woman in Europe to earn a doctorate in mathematics. In 1874 she presented papers on topics such as partial differential equations, the dynamics of the rings of Saturn, and elliptic integrals. Women at that time were not allowed to formally attend university, but Kovalevskaya was allowed to audit mathematics classes at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Sofia Kovalevskaya (1850-1891): Russian mathematicianīorn in Moscow, Sofia Kovalevskaya was the first major Russian female mathematician, the first woman to work as an editor for a scientific journal, and a contributor to the development of the Cauchy–Kovalevskaya theorem. We’ve listed them chronologically by birthdate.
![silicon valley gay pride logo silicon valley gay pride logo](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/20160828__svpride-08292.jpg)
Of course, many of these individuals lived and worked in an era when social pressures (and even laws) required them to hide their true orientation or identity-which makes it all the more fitting that we celebrate them today. The 10 LGBTQI+ people profiled here are individuals whose life work and discoveries have played an integral role in the development of modern computer technology.
![silicon valley gay pride logo silicon valley gay pride logo](https://www.queersiliconvalley.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/rainbow-chamber-1-header.jpg)
![silicon valley gay pride logo silicon valley gay pride logo](https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/businessman-pulling-coworker-by-necktie-260nw-2768875.jpg)
As it turns out, there are many LGBTQI+ pioneers beyond Alan Turing and Apple CEO Tim Cook. In honor of Gay Pride and the anniversary of Stonewall, we‘re highlighting a group of pioneers of computer science: people who were (or are) lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.