just a curious question, do you think we'd know the theory of relativity if Einstein had been a loud and  proud transgender. He  wasn't trans , but if he had been would society at the time or even today been able to except  such brilliance from someone trying to say that being transgender was ok. sorry, just a silly question.

Stephanie it isn't silly.

Lets look at the current media. They are approaching high profile men and women for interviews about trans* issues. Yes OK they want and maybe hope for controversial confrontation but they also want those people to be able to present argument and to not be frightened of expressing themselves.

We win by being out in main stream media. Those of us who teach win by being men and women who are just  good teachers who just happen to be trans*.

We win by writing good letters to the editor in newspapers.

We win by standing up to our work colleagues and not being frightened.

We win by showing we are not freaks but normal men and women, we win by showing there are no boundaries to being trans*.

IBM continued to design computers after Lynn Conway was fired. It just took them longer.

Someone else would have figured out relativity and nuclear science, but we'd have had to wait for it.

That's a really interesting question Stephanie. I think in those days they would probably not have listened to Einstein if he came out as transgender, they would probably have thought he's crazy and that he needed shock therapy.  Maybe after years and in today's life some scientist would rediscover his theory and see it wasn't nonsense and then he wasn't crazy

They would never be taken seriously.

Society would lock them away in wards for the unstable.

Actually...

I suggest that some of you take a long hard look at some of the photographs of Albert Einstein. I don't think he was trans but transitioning back then was much much more difficult anyway, yet in numerous photos, you'll see Einstein wearing various articles of female clothing.

For example:

That's interesting, I didn't know that. Is he wearing pants in that picture? Even the body language looks feminine

interesting

It's important to remember that we benefit today from biological and medical science that is so far removed from what 99% of human history had that we literally live in a different era.

It was not possible to transition to the degree that we do today before about 1930. And the entire process has become more and more complete, more and more refined, and more and more successful as time has passed.

So we're all a little bit unique and very, very fortunate to live when we do in comparison to most of human history.

Look at what happened to Alan Turing. Good thing he got a big chunk of what's now computer science invented before England "thanked" him for his significant contribution to winning WWII.

Wow, I am quite surprised about Einstein. Are you sure that is not photoshop?

What I am not surprised about is high IQ people being trans, or more appropriately, vice versa.

It's not photoshopped. Look at these additional pictures. Look at the robe. Look at the first jacket. Look at various foot wear.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/49222/11-unserious-photos-albert-einstein

As I said, I do not think Albert Einstein was trans but I do think he was a bit genderqueer and also just didn't give a damn what others thought about how he dressed.

My idle speculations have too often been spectacularly wrong and it seems the messenger is not the message more often than not.  I am confident that the scientific method will continue to produce progressive results no mater who does the math.

Quote from: LizMarie on November 13, 2014, 02:32:48 PM
It's not photoshopped. Look at these additional pictures. Look at the robe. Look at the first jacket. Look at various foot wear.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/49222/11-unserious-photos-albert-einstein

As I said, I do not think Albert Einstein was trans but I do think he was a bit genderqueer and also just didn't give a damn what others thought about how he dressed.

The part I bolded is clearly true.  He was eccentric, and more so as he aged.  That was accepted back in that day.  As far as I can see, even saying he was a bit genderqueer is a bit of a stretch.  The pictures you linked are pretty typical of how he kept himself.  Aside for the general theory of relativity, Einstein is noted for inventing the mad scientist hair style.

Just my take...  Note: People try to say Abraham Lincoln was gay based on interpreting his actions via how people act in today's society.  He was not and in his time nobody even though that.


Erin

As for the photo, it could have just been the style of sandals back then for men.

It's possble that anyone could have been LGBT, high profile or not throughout history.

So I think I could understand the theory of relativity if Einstien would have been trans? I do know that E is energy, m is mass and c is the speed of light squared, but anything else. I think his theories of time are really interesting but as for mathematical equations, I suck at math. If he would have been openly trans, he might not have had the recognition in Physics as he does but then again look to J. Edgar Hoover, the head of the FBI at one time and stories of him being a crossdresser? But then again the line between being a genius and being insane is awfully thin so, who knows?

I doubt it really. Sure people can be talented in many ways but in the end the people turning out to be famous and well known are usually weird in their own way. Unique, and that is why they stick. Back in this days I doubt he would have made it so far by being open about gay/trans and if he acted in such manner without telling anyone, it would just add up to the weirdness.

Not saying weirdo is a bad thing by the way. I like the word and I like being weird myself . Just saying if Einstein was usual in every single way but his brains then I doubt he gotten that big. There are many talented people on the world but only the ones who are a complete individuals are the ones who get further than just being talented.

Quote from: Kirey on November 13, 2014, 04:44:08 PM
I doubt it really. Sure people can be talented in many ways but in the end the people turning out to be famous and well known are usually weird in their own way. Unique, and that is why they stick. Back in this days I doubt he would have made it so far by being open about gay/trans and if he acted in such manner without telling anyone, it would just add up to the weirdness.

Not saying weirdo is a bad thing by the way. I like the word and I like being weird myself . Just saying if Einstein was usual in every single way but his brains then I doubt he gotten that big. There are many talented people on the world but only the ones who are a complete individuals are the ones who get further than just being talented.

LOL. Yeha I agree. Look at Michio Kaku, another theroetical physicist and his hair.

But Einstien wasn't quite the normal person that you would expect when he was in elementary school. He failed math. there is a difference between talent and intellegence though. Being on the edge, weird , and unique are good things but most people won;t take you seriously until you reach a level of intellegence that superceed the level of "normal" people. I am intelegent. I can run a business sucessfully, I do now which is my own. But a major trucking company to hire me to run a corperation? Nah. I don't have the look. I could but the way I would have to dress and wear my hair is against my religion. I'm one of the wierd ones too. So don't feel so alone OK?

Where have I mentioned I felt alone .. exactly o.o?

Interesting...

Einstein was eccentric and a little feminine.  I don't think he was trans but a little gender-queer might not be that far off.

Einstein won the Nobel prize for "black body radiation" and not for E=mc². 

Scientists are more accepting of non-standard behavior if it is accompanied by genius.  I think he would have still gotten the Nobel but I don't think he would have been the family name he is now.

Hugs,

Jennifer

Quote from: Kirey on November 13, 2014, 05:14:19 PM
Where have I mentioned I felt alone .. exactly o.o?

I don't know but most of us on the outer perimters have felt alone at one time or another.