Audrey Tang: Difference between revisions

{{short description|Taiwanese softwarepolitician programmerand (bornsoftware 1981)programmer}}

| name = Audrey Tang<br/>{{small|''Tang Feng''}}

| caption = Official portrait, 2016

| office1 = 1st [[Ministry of Digital Affairs (Taiwan)|Minister of Digital Affairs]]

| term_end1 = 20 May 2024

| premier1 primeminister1 = [[Su Tseng-chang|Hope Su]]<br/>[[Chen Chien-jen]]

| deputy1 = {{list collapsed|title=''See list''|Huai-Jen Lee<br>Chuei He-ming}}

| predecessor1 = ''OfficePosition established''

| successor1 = [[Huang Yen-nun]]

| order2 office2 = [[Minister without Portfolio]]

| premier2 primeminister2 = {{list collapsed|title=''See list''|[[Lin Chuan]]<br/>[[William Lai]]<br/>[[Su Tseng-chang|Hope Su]]}}

| birth_name = Autrijus Tang Tsung-han ({{lang|zh-hant|唐宗漢}})

| mother = LiLee Ya-ching

| relatives = {{ubl | Bestian Tang Tsung-hao(唐宗浩) (brother)}}

'''Audrey Tang Feng''' ({{lang-zh|t=唐鳳|p=Táng Fèng}}; born 18 April 1981) is a [[Taiwanese people|Taiwanese]] [[politician]] and [[free software]] [[programmer]] andwho served as the inauguralfirst Minister of Digital Affairs of theTaiwan Republicfrom ofAugust China2022 (Taiwan),to May 2024.<ref name=EY.GOV.TW>{{cite web|url=https://english.ey.gov.tw/Page/C92F6E4BE0B76065/5cc03017-5384-4c64-a4ad-9bb1a7f1bcdd|title=EY.GOV.TW—Executive Yuan Officials: TANG Feng (Audrey TANG), Minister without Portfolio|date=December 2011|access-date=2021-02-09|archive-date=2020-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028060159/https://english.ey.gov.tw/Page/C92F6E4BE0B76065/5cc03017-5384-4c64-a4ad-9bb1a7f1bcdd|url-status=live}}</ref> whoShe has been described as one of the "ten greatest Taiwanese computing personalities".<ref name=ETToday>{{cite news |url=http://www.ettoday.com/2006/02/08/327-1902964.htm |date=2006-02-08 |access-date=2007-03-22 |title=別叫我「先生」！ 電腦怪傑唐宗漢變性 改名唐鳳 (Don't call me "Mister"! Tang Zonghan changes sex, name now Tang Feng) |publisher=Eastern Television |last=Chen |first=Chun-ming |language=zh |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061019113333/http://www.ettoday.com/2006/02/08/327-1902964.htm |archive-date = 2006-10-19}}</ref> In August 2016, Tang was invited to join Taiwan's [[Executive Yuan]] as a [[minister without portfolio]], making her the first [[transgender]] person and the first [[Nonnon-binary gender|non-binary]] official in the top executive cabinet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/28/2003654031|title=PROFILEProfile: Audrey Tang: 100% made in Taiwan – Taipei Times|website=www.taipeitimes.com|date=2016-08-28|access-date=2016-08-29|archive-date=2016-08-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828130131/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/28/2003654031|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Glauert|first=Rik|date=2018-11-29|title=What you didn't know about the world's first non-binary minister|url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/what-you-didnt-know-about-the-worlds-first-non-binary-minister/|access-date=2020-07-28|website=Gay Star News|language=en-GB|archive-date=2020-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728182948/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/what-you-didnt-know-about-the-worlds-first-non-binary-minister/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Interview with Mia Hunt|url=https://sayit.pdis.nat.gov.tw/2019-11-01-interview-with-mia-hunt#s348608|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728183917/https://sayit.pdis.nat.gov.tw/2019-11-01-interview-with-mia-hunt#s348608|archive-date=2020-07-28}}</ref> Tang has identified as "post-gender" and accepts "whatever pronoun people want to describe me with online."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Audrey Tang is radically transparent|url=https://www.dumbofeather.com/conversations/audrey-tang/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919052004/https://www.dumbofeather.com/conversations/audrey-tang/|archive-date=2020-09-19|access-date=2020-07-29|website=Dumbo Feather|language=en-US}}</ref> Tang is a community leader of the [[Haskell]] (and [[Perl]] [[programming language)|Haskell]] and [[PerlCommunity of interest|communities]], and is the core member of [[g0v]].

Tang was born '''Autrijusin Tang Tsung-han''' ({{lang-zh|t=唐宗漢|p=Táng Zōnghàn}})<ref name="LAT" />Taipei to father Tang Kuang-hua and mother Lee Ya-ching.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chung|first1=Jake|title=PROFILEProfile: Audrey Tang: 100% made in Taiwan|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/28/2003654031|access-date=28 August 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=28 August 2016|archive-date=28 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828031941/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/28/2003654031|url-status=live}}</ref> Lee Ya-ching helped develop Taiwan's first consumer co-operative, and co-developed an experimental primary school employing indigenous teachers.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Transcript: 2020-07-14 Interview with Tammy Kim|url=https://sayit.pdis.nat.gov.tw/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010224933/https://sayit.pdis.nat.gov.tw/ |archive-date=2017-10-10 |access-date=2020-12-22|website=PDIS.tw Transcripts}}</ref> Tang was a child prodigy, reading works of classical literature before the age of five, advanced mathematics before six, and programming before eight,<ref>{{cite web |last1=TING-FANG |first1=CHENG |last2=LI |first2=LAULY |last3=IHARA |first3=KENSAKU |title=Taiwan digital minister warns of China's 5G 'Trojan horse' |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/Interview/Taiwan-digital-minister-warns-of-China-s-5G-Trojan-horse |website=asia.nikkei.com |publisher=Nikkei |access-date=15 July 2020 |archive-date=15 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715071525/https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/Interview/Taiwan-digital-minister-warns-of-China-s-5G-Trojan-horse |url-status=live }}</ref> and she began to learn [[Perl]] at age 12.<ref name=CNet>{{cite news|url=http://taiwan.cnet.com/enterprise/features/0,2000062876,20087861-3,00.htm |title=專題報導 : 尋找台灣自由軟體力量 (Special Report: Searching for the power of Taiwanese free software) |date=2000-06-28 |access-date=2007-03-22 |last=Li |first=Hsin-ru |publisher=CNet Taiwan) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831005223/http://taiwan.cnet.com/enterprise/features/0%2C2000062876%2C20087861-3%2C00.htm |archive-date=2006-08-31 }}</ref> Tang spent part of her childhood in Germany.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ghost Island Media 鬼島之音|url=http://ghostisland.media/|access-date=2021-03-03|website=Ghost Island Media 鬼島之音|language=en}}</ref> Two years later, she dropped out of junior high school, unable to adapt to student life.<ref name=ETToday/> By the year 2000, at the age of 19, Tang had already held positions in software companies, and worked in California's [[Silicon Valley]] as an entrepreneur.<ref name=CNet/>

In late 2005, Tang began [[transitioning (transgender)|transitioning]] to [[trans woman|female]], including changing her English and Chinese names, citing a need to reconcile her outward appearance with her self-image.<ref>{{cite web|title=Audrey Tang's Blog: Runtime Typecasting |date=December 2005 |url=http://pugs.blogs.com/audrey/2005/12/runtime_typecas.html |access-date=2007-08-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701140238/http://pugs.blogs.com/audrey/2005/12/runtime_typecas.html#comments |archive-date=1 July 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2017, Tang said, "I've been shutting reality off, and lived almost exclusively on the net for many years, because my brain knows for sure that I am a woman, but the social expectations demand otherwise."<ref>Audrey, [http://pugs.blogs.com/audrey/2005/12/runtime_typecas.html "鳳"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701140238/http://pugs.blogs.com/audrey/2005/12/runtime_typecas.html |date=2007-07-01 }} "Phoenix", 1 February 2017</ref> In 2019, Tang identified as "post-gender" or non-binary, responding to a request regarding pronoun preferences with "What's important here is not which pronouns you use, but the experience...about those pronouns... I'm not just non-binary. I'm really whatever, so do whatever."<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

The television news channel [[Eastern Television|ETToday]] reported that Tang has an [[Intelligence quotient|IQ]] of 180.<ref name=ETToday/> Tang has been a vocal proponent for [[autodidacticism]]<ref name=Epoch>{{cite news |url=http://www.epochtaiwan.com/content_detail.asp?art_id=955 |title=平淡中見絢爤-李雅卿的教改之路 (Lee Ya-Ching's road toward educational reform) |date=2000-06-28 |access-date=2007-04-16 |last=Chen |first=Bo-nian |publisher=Epoch Taiwan) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040115155339/http://www.epochtaiwan.com/content_detail.asp?art_id=955 |archive-date=2004-01-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[anarchism]].<ref name=CNet/><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-29 |title=Audrey Tang on her "conservative-anarchist" vision for Taiwan's future. "Any top-down, coercion, whether it's from the capitalists or from the state, is equally bad." |url=https://restofworld.org/2020/audrey-tang-the-conservative-anarchist/ |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=Rest of World |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Audrey Tang on what it means to be a Conservative Anarchist |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2XdLbqIGwc |access-date=2023-03-22 |language=en}}. Anarchist in the sense of not accepting coersion and "conservative" in the sense of conservationist or the preservation of biodiversity, natural-social-cultural diversity. Not to be confused with [[Tory]] ideology – quite the opposite for Audrey.</ref>

Tang initiated and led the [[Pugs (programmingcompiler)|Pugs]] project, a joint effort from the [[Haskell (programming language)|Haskell]] and [[Perl]] programming language communities to implement the [[Raku (programming language)|Perl 6]] language;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2005/03/03/pugs_interview.html |title=A Plan for Pugs |date=2005-03-03 |publisher=[[O'Reilly Media]] |access-date=2007-03-22 |archive-date=2012-09-08 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908200150/http://www.perl.com/pub/2005/03/03/pugs_interview.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Tang also made contributions to [[internationalization and localization]] efforts for several [[Free Software]] programs, including [[SVK (software)|SVK]] (a version-control software written in Perl for which Tang also wrote a large portion of the code), [[Request Tracker]], and [[Slash (weblog system)|Slash]], created [[Ethercalc]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ethercalc.net |title=Ethercalc.net |access-date=2020-09-19 |archive-date=2020-09-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200909154953/https://ethercalc.net/ |url-status=live }}</ref> building on [[Dan Bricklin]]'s work on [[WikiCalc]] and their work together on SocialCalc, as well as heading [[Traditional Chinese]] translation efforts for various [[Open-source software|open source]]-related books.<ref name=ETToday/><ref name=CNet/>

On [[CPAN]], Tang initiated over 100 Perl projects between June 2001 and July 2006, including the popular [[Perl Archive Toolkit]] (PAR), a cross-platform packaging and deployment tool for Perl 5.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://metacpan.org/author/AUTRIJUS|title=Author page for autrijus|publisher=CPAN|access-date=2007-03-22|archive-date=2013-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228054015/https://metacpan.org/author/AUTRIJUS|url-status=live}}</ref> Tang is also responsible for setting up [[smoke testing (software)|smoke test]] and [[digital signature]] systems for CPAN.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2002/04/30/cpants.html|title=Becoming a CPAN Tester with CPANPLUS|date=2002-04-30|publisher=[[O'Reilly Media]]|access-date=2011-01-27|archive-date=2012-09-07|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907230543/http://www.perl.com/pub/2002/04/30/cpants.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2005, Tang was a speaker at [[O'Reilly Media]]'s European Open Source Convention in [[Amsterdam]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2005/09/08/autrijus-tang.html |title=Perl Internationalization and Haskell: an interview with Autrijus Tang |date=2005-09-08 |access-date=2007-03-23 |publisher=[[O'Reilly Media]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070331223400/http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2005/09/08/autrijus-tang.html |archive-date=31 March 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Tang became involved in politics during Taiwan's 2014 [[Sunflower Student Movement]] demonstrations, in which Tang volunteered to help the protesters occupying the Taiwanese parliament building broadcast their message. The prime minister invited Tang to build [[media literacy]] curricula for Taiwan's schools, which was implemented in late 2017. Following this work, Tang was appointed [[minister without portfolio]] for digital affairs{{r|Haaretz}} in the [[Lin Chuan]] cabinet in August 2016, and took office as the digital minister on October 1, being placed in charge of helping government agencies communicate policy goals and managing information published by the government, both via digital means.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lin|first1=Milly|last2=Tai|first2=Ya-chen|last3=Huang|first3=Chiao-wen|last4=Chang|first4=S.C.|title=Young minister a bold attempt to solve government problems|url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201608250036.aspx|access-date=25 August 2016|agency=Central News Agency|date=25 August 2016|archive-date=26 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826202133/http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201608250036.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Hsiao|first1=Alison|title=Programming expert to join Executive Yuan|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/26/2003653890|access-date=26 August 2016|work=Taipei Times|date=26 August 2016|archive-date=26 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826132046/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2016/08/26/2003653890|url-status=live}}</ref> At age 35, Tang was the youngest minister without portfolio in Taiwanese history<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lin|first1=Luang-sen|last2=Chung|first2=Jake|title=Wellington Koo and wife, Audrey Tang report assets|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/02/02/2003664193|access-date=2 February 2017|work=Taipei Times|date=2 February 2017|archive-date=1 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201181017/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/02/02/2003664193|url-status=live}}</ref> and was given this role to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations.<ref>James Wang, [http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2016/11/05/2003658593 ″Generation Gap a factor for Blue and Green Camps″] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203075711/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2016/11/05/2003658593 |date=2017-02-03 }}, ″Taipei Times″, 1 February 2017</ref>

As a conservative anarchist,<!--<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Wang |first1=Amber |title=Taiwan's 'conservative anarchist' transgender cabinet member |work=Agence France-Presse |date=2020-06-26 |url=https://news.yahoo.com/taiwans-conservative-anarchist-transgender-cabinet-member-044738918.html |language=en-US |access-date=2020-09-19 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>--> Tang ultimately desires the abolition of Taiwan and all states, and justifies working for the state by the opportunity it affords to promote worthwhile ends. Tang's conservatism stems from wanting to preserve free public spaces independent from the state, such as Internet properties, and wanting technological advances to be applied humanistically so that all, rather than a few, can reap its benefits, to the exclusion of others.<ref name=Haaretz>{{Cite web |last1=Ronel |first1=Asaf |title=The anarchist minister from the future who's redefining democracy |work=[[Haaretz]] |date=2017-07-17 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-the-anarchist-minister-who-s-redefining-democracy-1.5494650 |language=en |access-date=2020-09-19 |df=mdy-all |archive-date=2021-08-14 |archive-url=https://archive.istoday/SCp1P20210814191118/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-the-anarchist-minister-who-s-redefining-democracy-1.5494650 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Tang's department does not follow hierarchical or bureaucratic relationships. As of 2017, Tang's staff of 15 chose to work in the department. The group produces a weekly roadmap as collaborators, not orders.<ref name=LAT>{{Cite web |last1=Jennings |first1=Ralph |title=She's young, transgender and an anarchist, and is leading Taiwan's drive to become a digital powerhouse |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=2017-05-09 |url=https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-taiwan-digital-minister-20170419-story.html |language=en-US |access-date=2020-09-19 |df=mdy-all |archive-date=2020-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520095937/https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-taiwan-digital-minister-20170419-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Tang was quoted as saying, "My existence is not to become a minister for a certain group, nor to broadcast government propaganda. Instead, it is to become a 'channel' to allow greater combinations of intelligence and strength to come together."<ref>The China Post News staff, [http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2016/08/26/476652/Cabinet-to.htm ″Cabinet to appoint minister to steer open gov't initiative″, "The China Post″, Retrieved 1 February 2017] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001030935/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2016/08/26/476652/cabinet-to.htm |date=1 October 2017 }}</ref>

In January 2023 Tang became an [[e-Residency of Lithuania|e-resident of Lithuania]] which was announced during her first foreign visit as Digital Affairs minister in [[Vilnius]], [[Lithuania]].<ref>{{Cite web |title= Taivano skaitmeninių reikalų ministrė tapo Lietuvos e. rezidente: visame pasaulyje tokių asmenų jau virš 300 |work=[[Lithuanian National Radio and Television]] |date=2023-01-12 |url=https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/verslas/4/1865073/taivano-skaitmeniniu-reikalu-ministre-tapo-lietuvos-e-rezidente-visame-pasaulyje-tokiu-asmenu-jau-virs-300 |language=lt |access-date=2023-01-13 }}</ref>

[[Category:Taiwanese Ministers of Digitaldigital affairs of AffairsTaiwan]]