LGBTQ+ History Month: Writer shares her work on technology pioneer Alan Turing’s private life and influence

 

By Carly Driggers

In celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month, we speak with Patricia Fancher, a writer and educator studying queer and feminist communities. We learn more about her journey in feminist rhetoric and the inspiration behind her first book (April 2024), Queer Techné: Bodies, Rhetorics, and Desire in the History of Computing.

Carly: In your recent book, Queer Techné: Bodies, Rhetorics, and Desire in the History of Computing, you explore the personal connections that shaped early digital innovation. What inspired you to dive into this lesser-known history?

Patricia: I knew I wanted to study something that allowed me to think about queer sexuality, embodiment and technology, but I wasn’t sure how to tie together all the different ideas I cared about. Henrik Olesen’s work helped me see how Alan Turing’s life as a gay man and his theories about machine intelligence could be interesting. As I learned more, I began thinking of the complex ways that Turing’s life reflected important points of overlap between performance and authenticity, creativity and science, body and mind, human and machine. I was rather lost in grad school and not sure how I wanted to focus my dissertation. During a summer break, I was in a museum in NYC and was struck by an exhibit by the Danish collage and sculpture artist Henrik Olesen,  “Some Illustrations to the Life of Alan Turing.” Oleson’s work was the inspiration that led me to take a deeper look at Turing and his colleagues.

Patricia Fancher

Carly: Your book reimagines the history of computing through a queer rhetorical lens. Can you share a particularly surprising or overlooked narrative from this history that stood out to you during your research? 

Patricia: My favorite stories from the book come from chapter three, which is about queer friendship. Most of the stories about Turing have represented him as lonely, sexless and sad. As I read these narratives, I thought surely he had friends. Was there really no queer community? I am also queer and I know even in conservative places, I have always found my community. So, I entered the archives looking for Turing and also for his community. And I found it! The archives are full of queer connections and friendships that were important for sustaining Turing. 

Carly: What do you see as the future of research at the intersection of queer theory, rhetoric and technology? Are there any emerging trends or areas of study you’re excited about? 

Patricia: One month after I finished the first draft of this book, OpenAI released ChatGPT and the world of writing really changed. As I prepared the book for publication, I did my best to anticipate some of those changes. However, it was so early that I couldn’t fully study anything related to contemporary AI technology and queer theory, but I think there is a lot of work to be done! ChatGPT has a more playful tone and style, and I am curious to experiment more and see what space there may be to explore queer writing and rhetoric in and with ChatGPT.

“As I learned more, I began thinking of the complex ways that Turing’s life reflected important points of overlap between performance and authenticity, creativity and science, body and mind, human and machine.”

Carly: What first sparked your interest in exploring feminist rhetoric, creative nonfiction and digital media as a writer and educator? Was there a particular moment or experience that set you on this path?

Patricia: I went to a women’s college. While I wasn’t raised feminist by any means, I learned quickly and absorbed the importance of feminist rhetoric at Columbia College, and it really shifted the direction of my life. 

Carly: We host a popular Book Club and we’re always looking for recommendations. What are you currently reading?

Patricia’s recommendations: 

 
 
 
Carly Driggers