Date and time: Thursday 19 February 2026, 13:00-14:00 CET
Speaker: Oliver L. Haimson, University of Michigan (UM) School of Information
Title: Trans Technologies
Where: Digital Futures hub, Osquars Backe 5, floor 2 at KTH main campus OR Zoom
Directions: https://www.digitalfutures.kth.se/contact/how-to-get-here/
OR
Host: Martina Scolamiero scola@kth.se
Bio: Oliver L. Haimson is an Associate Professor at University of Michigan (UM) School of Information, where he directs the Community Research on Identity and Technology (CRIT) Lab. He is also affiliate faculty with the UM Digital Studies Institute and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Applied Transgender Studies. Haimson is a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award and multiple Best Paper and Honorable Mention awards at ACM CHI and ACM CSCW. He earned his Ph.D. in Information and Computer Science from University of California, Irvine.
Haimson conducts social computing and HCI research focused on envisioning and designing trans technologies, social media content moderation and marginalized populations, and changing identities on social media during life transitions. Much of his research has focused on transgender identities and experiences online and with social technologies. He is the author of Trans Technologies (MIT Press, 2025), a manuscript that examines how technology creates new possibilities for transgender people, and how trans experiences, in turn, create new possibilities for technology.
Haimson is a Scholar-in-Residence at Digital Futures hosted by Rob Comber.
Abstract: In this talk, drawing from my new book Trans Technologies (MIT Press, 2025), I discuss 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.
