Martine Rothblatt

she/her

1954

Suggest Edit

Biography

Martine Rothblatt is a visionary entrepreneur, lawyer, author, and transgender rights advocate who has made groundbreaking contributions across multiple industries. Born in Chicago in 1954, Rothblatt began her career as a communications attorney before transitioning to entrepreneurship.

In 1990, she founded Sirius Satellite Radio (now SiriusXM), pioneering the concept of satellite-delivered radio broadcasting and transforming how people access audio entertainment. After coming out as transgender and transitioning in the early 1990s, Rothblatt became one of the most prominent transgender business leaders in the world.

In 1996, motivated by her daughter's diagnosis with pulmonary arterial hypertension, she founded United Therapeutics, a biotechnology company dedicated to developing treatments for rare diseases. Under her leadership as CEO, the company has become highly successful, making her one of the highest-paid female executives in the United States.

Beyond her business achievements, Rothblatt is a prolific author and philosopher. Her 1995 book "The Apartheid of Sex" challenged traditional binary gender concepts, advocating for a more fluid understanding of gender identity. She continues to be a passionate advocate for transgender rights while also exploring futurist concepts like digital consciousness and technological immortality.

Rothblatt's extraordinary career spans satellite communications, biotechnology, transgender advocacy, and futurist philosophy, making her one of the most innovative and multifaceted figures in contemporary transgender history.

Notable For

  • Founding Sirius Satellite Radio (now SiriusXM) in 1990, revolutionizing the radio industry.
  • Creating United Therapeutics in 1996, a biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for rare diseases.
  • Writing "The Apartheid of Sex" (1995), an influential book challenging binary gender categories.
  • Being one of the highest-paid female CEOs in the United States.
  • Advocating for transgender rights and technological innovations in healthcare.

Sources

  • "From Transgender to Transhuman: A Manifesto On the Freedom Of Form" by Martine Rothblatt
  • "The Apartheid of Sex: A Manifesto on the Freedom of Gender" by Martine Rothblatt

Editorial History

To improve this entry, please suggest an edit on GitHub.

Sign in to GitHub to suggest changes. After editing, commit to a new branch and open a pull request; maintainers will review it.