Star Simpson

My first interaction with RMS was at a hacker con at 19. He asked my name, I gave it, whether I went to MIT (I had an MIT shirt on), and after confirmation I did, asked me on a date. I said no. That was our entire conversation. Christine, yes, no thanks.https://twitter.com/sarahmei/status/994010501460865025 …

I remember being walked around campus by an upperclassman getting advice during my freshman year at MIT. "Look at all the plants in her office," referring to a professor. "All the women CSAIL professors keep massive amounts of foliage" s/he said. "Stallman really hates plants."

I am still struck by the idea that all of the professors in the lab would keep special charms and amulets to ward off a specific person — if nothing else, this is an incredible illustration of the lack of functional recourse that professional women there previously had.