Coraline Ada Ehmke

Ehmke began writing software in 1994, using the Perl programming language. She has since written software in ASP.NET and Java, before discovering Ruby in 2007.{{Cite interview|last=Ehmke|first=Coraline Ada|interviewer=Gareth Wilson|title=Refactoring to a Happier Development Team|url=https://blog.fogcreek.com/refactoring-to-a-happier-development-team-interview-with-coraline-ada-ehmke/|publisher=Fog Creek|date=October 7, 2015|access-date=July 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712035856/https://blog.fogcreek.com/refactoring-to-a-happier-development-team-interview-with-coraline-ada-ehmke/|archive-date=July 12, 2017|url-status=dead}} She is the author of 25 Ruby gems{{Cite web|url=https://rubygems.org/profiles/CoralineAda|title=Coraline Ada|website=RubyGems|language=en-us|access-date=July 6, 2017}} and has contributed to projects including Rspec and Ruby on Rails. She has spoken frequently at software conferences,

• {{Cite web|url=https://blog.chef.io/2016/06/08/highlights-from-railsconf-2016/|title=Highlights from RailsConf 2016|last=McDonald|first=Logan|date=June 8, 2016|website=Chef Blog|access-date=July 6, 2017}}
• {{Cite web|url=http://madisonpl.us/blog/2014/06/18/madison-ruby-speaker-line/|title=Madison+ Ruby Speaker Line-up|last=Remsik|first=Jenifer|date=June 18, 2014|website=Madison+ Ruby|language=en-US|access-date=July 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114183725/http://madisonpl.us/blog/2014/06/18/madison-ruby-speaker-line/|archive-date=January 14, 2018|url-status=dead}}
• {{Cite web|url=https://www.thatconference.com/speakers/speaker/Bantik|title=Coraline Ehmke|website=That Conference|access-date=July 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331073601/https://www.thatconference.com/speakers/speaker/Bantik|archive-date=March 31, 2019|url-status=dead}}
• {{Cite web|url=http://travel.tripcase.com/blog/tripcase-at-the-big-ruby-conference/|title=TripCase at the Big Ruby Conference|last=Allen|first=B.J.|date=May 9, 2014|website=TripCase Blog|language=en-US|access-date=July 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828203902/http://travel.tripcase.com/blog/tripcase-at-the-big-ruby-conference/|archive-date=August 28, 2018|url-status=dead}}
• {{Cite news|url=https://opensource.com/life/14/6/steps-to-diversity-open-source-culture|title=Steps to diversity in your open source group|last=Huger|first=Jen Wike|date=June 23, 2014|work=opensource.com|access-date=July 6, 2017|language=en}}
• {{Cite web|url=http://nickelcityruby.com/#speakers|title=Nickel City Ruby Conference|website=Nickel City Ruby|language=en|access-date=July 6, 2017}}
• {{Cite web|url=http://keeprubyweird.com/speakers/|title=Speakers|website=Keep Ruby Weird|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008054727/http://keeprubyweird.com/speakers/|archive-date=October 8, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=July 6, 2017}}
• {{Cite web|url=http://mtnwestrubyconf.org/2015/sessions|title=Speakers and Sessions|website=MountainWest RubyConf 2015|access-date=July 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331073605/http://mtnwestrubyconf.org/2015/sessions|archive-date=March 31, 2019|url-status=dead}}
• {{Cite web|url=http://rockymtnruby.com/|title=Rocky Mountain Ruby|website=Rocky Mountain Ruby|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150422164937/http://rockymtnruby.com/|archive-date=April 22, 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=July 6, 2017}}
• {{Cite web|url=https://2016.writespeakcode.com/speakers|title=2016 Write/Speak/Code Conference|website=Write/Speak/Code|access-date=July 6, 2017}}
• {{Cite web|url=https://www.yoomee.com/back-from-bath-ruby-2016|title=Back from Bath Ruby 2016|last=King|first=Dan|date=March 18, 2016|website=Yoomee|access-date=July 6, 2017|archive-date=March 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331073602/https://www.yoomee.com/back-from-bath-ruby-2016|url-status=dead}}
• {{Cite web|url=http://rubyconf.org.au/2015|title=RubyConf Australia 2015|website=RubyConf Australia 2015|language=en|access-date=July 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702073146/http://www.rubyconf.org.au/2015|archive-date=July 2, 2017|url-status=dead}} and she has given keynote addresses at multiple technology conferences worldwide, including RubyFuza in Cape Town, South Africa{{Cite web|url=http://www.rubyfuza.org/|title=Rubyfuza|website=Rubyfuza|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706224734/http://www.rubyfuza.org/|archive-date=July 6, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=July 6, 2017}} and RubyConf Brazil.{{Cite web|url=http://eventos.locaweb.com.br/eventos-anteriores/rubyconf-2017/#inscrevase|title=RubyConf Brazil|access-date=January 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112163918/http://eventos.locaweb.com.br/eventos-anteriores/rubyconf-2017/#inscrevase|archive-date=January 12, 2018|url-status=dead}}

In 2013 at the Madison+ Ruby conference, Ehmke was among a group of people who announced the creation of a community for LGBT technologists called LGBTech. During this announcement, she also came out publicly as transgender.{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPy1vGedYI0|title=He Doesn't Work Here Anymore|date=September 2, 2015|last=Ehmke|first=Coraline Ada|type=Videotape|language=en}}

In 2014, Ehmke created OS4W.org, a website to help women contribute to open source by connecting them with mentors and pair programming partners, and identifying open source projects that welcome diverse contributors.{{Cite web|url=https://os4w.org/about|title=About|website=OS4W|language=en|access-date=July 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527202211/https://os4w.org/about|archive-date=May 27, 2018|url-status=dead}}{{Cite journal|last=Knowles|first=Bryan|date=Spring 2018|title=Coraline Ada Ehmke: Promoting Richer Open Source Communities|journal=XRDS|volume=24|issue=3|pages=60–61|doi=10.1145/3186707|s2cid=4697200}}

Also in 2014, she created the Contributor Covenant, a code of conduct used in over 40,000 open source projects including all such projects from Google, Microsoft, and Apple.{{Cite web|url=http://contributor-covenant.org/|title=Contributor Covenant: A Code of Conduct for Open Source Projects|website=Contributor Covenant|language=en|access-date=July 6, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/05/how-we-may-mesh/|title=On the war between hacker culture and codes of conduct|last=Evans|first=Jon|date=March 5, 2016|website=TechCrunch|access-date=July 6, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=http://hellotechpros.com/coraline-ehmke-people/|title=GitHub's Anti-Harassment Tools and the Open Source Codes of Conduct|last=Bostick|first=Chad|date=November 4, 2016|website=Hello Tech Pros|language=en-US|access-date=July 6, 2017}} In 2016, she received a Ruby Hero award in recognition of her work on the Contributor Covenant.{{Cite web|url=https://rubyheroes.com/heroes/2016|title=2016 Ruby Heroes|website=Ruby Heroes|language=en-us|access-date=July 6, 2017|archive-date=June 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610094006/https://rubyheroes.com/heroes/2016|url-status=dead}}{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSNogJGaMms|title=Ruby Hero Awards|date=May 12, 2016|last=RailsConf|type=Videotape|publisher=Confreaks|minutes=3:52}} After allegations of sexual harassment were made against the founder and CEO of GitHub and his wife in March 2014, Ehmke joined Betsy Haibel to create a service called the Culture Offset. Culture Offset allowed people who wished to boycott GitHub but were unable to do so because it was necessary for their work to "offset" their use by directing donations to organizations working to help underrepresented people in the technology industry. This project was featured in the Wall Street Journal and Wired Magazine.{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/03/21/in-wake-of-github-incident-coders-launch-culture-offset/|title=In Wake of GitHub Incident, Coders Launch 'Culture Offset'|last=Wells|first=Georgia|date=March 21, 2014|website=Wall Street Journal|language=en-US|access-date=July 9, 2017}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/03/culture-offsets/|title=An Advocate for Women in the Valley Quits GitHub, Citing Harassment|last=Finley|first=Klint|date=March 17, 2014|magazine=Wired|access-date=July 9, 2017|language=en-US}} Ehmke is also the author of the Post-Meritocracy Manifesto.{{Cite web|last=Robertson|first=Adi|date=September 21, 2018|title=With Linux's founder stepping back, will the community change its culture?|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/21/17883442/linux-founder-linus-torvalds-apology-code-of-conduct-change-enforcement|url-status=live|access-date=October 4, 2021|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921215654/https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/21/17883442/linux-founder-linus-torvalds-apology-code-of-conduct-change-enforcement |archive-date=2018-09-21 }}

Ehmke was a founding panelist on the Greater Than Code podcast.{{Cite news|url=https://www.greaterthancode.com/about-us/|title=Panelists|work=Greater Than Code|access-date=July 6, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625134019/http://www.greaterthancode.com/about-us/|archive-date=June 25, 2017|url-status=dead}} She served on the boards of directors for Ruby Together and RailsBridge.{{Cite web|url=https://rubytogether.org/team|title=Ruby Together Team|website=Ruby Together|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706231555/https://rubytogether.org/team|archive-date=July 6, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=July 6, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=http://railsbridge.org/about/team|title=Team|website=RailsBridge|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706231914/http://railsbridge.org/about/team|archive-date=July 6, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=July 6, 2017}}

In 2016, she joined GitHub as a senior developer on a team that develops community management and anti-harassment features for the software platform.{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/CoralineAda/status/702594868984459264|title=I'm thrilled to announce that I will be joining the team at @github next month to work on community management and anti-harassment tools.|last=Ehmke|first=Coraline Ada|date=February 24, 2016|website=Twitter|access-date=July 6, 2017}} She was fired approximately a year later, and on July 5, 2017 published an article criticizing GitHub's culture and the circumstances surrounding her severance.{{Cite web|url=http://where.coraline.codes/blog/my-year-at-github/|title=Antisocial Coding: My Year at GitHub|last=Ehmke|first=Coraline Ada|date=July 5, 2017|website=where.coraline.codes|language=en|access-date=July 6, 2017|archive-date=July 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705213032/http://where.coraline.codes/blog/my-year-at-github/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.themarysue.com/antisocial-coding-github/|title=Former GitHub Employee Writes About Company's Failure to Uphold Its Own Values|last=Jao|first=Charline|date=July 5, 2017|website=The Mary Sue|language=en|access-date=July 6, 2017}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/fired-github-programmer-coraline-ada-ehmke-speaks-out-2017-7|title=A GitHub programmer turned down a severance check so she could speak out about her frustrating experience|last=Bort|first=Julie|date=July 6, 2017|work=Business Insider|access-date=July 8, 2017|language=en}} Her story was featured in a 2017 report on hush clauses and non-disparagement agreements published by CNN.{{Cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/07/08/technology/culture/sexism-silicon-valley-code-of-conduct/index.html|title=Why Sexism Has Festered For So Long in Silicon Valley|last=O'Brien|first=Sara Ashley|date=July 8, 2017|website=CNN Tech|language=en|access-date=July 8, 2017}}

In 2018 Ehmke participated in a debate at the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland on the topic of tech companies being a threat to human rights.{{Cite web|url=https://2018unforumbhr.sched.com/event/GZ6I/forum-debate-are-tech-companies-a-threat-to-human-rights/|title=Forum Debate: Are Tech Companies a Threat to Human Rights?}}{{Cite web|url=https://dig.watch/resources/forum-debate-are-tech-companies-threat-human-rights|title=Forum debate: Are tech companies a threat to human rights?|access-date=2018-11-28|archive-date=2020-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919090204/https://dig.watch/resources/forum-debate-are-tech-companies-threat-human-rights|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://where.coraline.codes/blog/human-rights-microaggressions/|title=Human Rights Microaggressions in the Tech Industry|access-date=2018-11-28|archive-date=2021-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510191614/https://where.coraline.codes/blog/human-rights-microaggressions/|url-status=dead}} Ehmke created the "Hippocratic License" (described as "An Ethical License for Open Source Projects") and in 2020 founded the Organization for Ethical Source.{{Cite web|url=https://firstdonoharm.dev/|title=Hippocratic License|access-date=July 14, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://ethicalsource.dev/|title=The Ethical Source Movement|access-date=July 14, 2020}}{{Non-primary source needed|date=April 2022}}

Ehmke has been the repeated subject of negative reporting by far-right organizations and bloggers including Breitbart News,{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/story/woman-bringing-civility-to-open-source-projects/|title=The Woman Bringing Civility to Open Source Projects|last=Finley|first=Klint|date=September 26, 2018|magazine=Wired|access-date=November 14, 2018|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.dailydot.com/irl/social-justice-warrior-sjw/|title=How 'social justice warrior' went from hero to joke|last=Seavers|first=Kris|date=October 2, 2017|work=The Daily Dot|access-date=November 14, 2018|language=en-US}} and has described herself as a "Notorious Social Justice Warrior" after being given the moniker in a Breitbart article about her joining GitHub.{{Cite web|url=http://where.coraline.codes/|title=Coraline Ada Ehmke|website=where.coraline.codes|language=en|access-date=July 7, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/coralineada|title=@CoralineAda|website=Twitter|language=en|access-date=July 7, 2017}}

Ehmke is transgender, and began her transition in March 2014.{{Cite web|url=https://alterconf.com/talks/he-doesnt-work-here-anymore|title=Talk: He Doesn't Work Here Anymore|date=2015|website=Alterconf|language=en|access-date=July 9, 2017}} She has been public about her transition in hopes of helping others, and has given several interviews about her experiences transitioning and working as a trans woman in technology.{{Cite news|url=https://geekgirlrising.com/geekgirls/coraline-ada-ehmke/|title=Interview with Coraline Ada Ehmke|last=Ehmke|first=Coraline Ada|work=Geek Girl Rising|access-date=July 9, 2017|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.genderit.org/articles/your-presence-political-statement-story-coraline-ada|title=Your presence as a political statement: the story of Coraline Ada|last=Heidel|first=Evelin|date=September 30, 2016|website=GenderIT|language=en|access-date=July 9, 2017}} She has also given a talk about her experiences titled "He Doesn't Work Here Anymore" at the Keep Ruby Weird, Alterconf, and Madison+ Ruby conferences.{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/madisonruby/status/646673317550800896|title=Video: He Doesn't Work Here Anymore by @CoralineAda|last=Madison+ Ruby|date=September 23, 2015|website=Twitter|access-date=July 9, 2017}}

Ehmke writes and records music and has released several albums under the name A Little Fire Scarecrow.{{Cite web|url=https://alittlefirescarecrow.com/|title=A Little Fire Scarecrow|access-date=July 9, 2017|archive-date=May 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506112007/https://alittlefirescarecrow.com/|url-status=dead}} and Sudre’s Violin.{{Cite web|url=https://coralineada.bandcamp.com/album/seven-souls |title=Seven Souls by Coraline Ada Ehmke |website=Bandcamp |access-date=March 5, 2025}}{{Cite web|url=https://nosignal.zone |title=No Signal |website=No Signal |access-date=March 5, 2025}}

• Sage Sharp
• Valerie Aurora

{{Reflist|30em}}

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• {{Official website|http://where.coraline.codes}}
• [https://postmeritocracy.org/ Post-Meritocracy Manifesto]

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Category:Living people

Category:American software engineers

Category:Open source advocates

Category:American computer programmers

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people