Blue Shark Friends
About
Blue Shark Friends is a worker-owned digital community building company. We started as a software development company that in many ways was part of the post-pandemic small business boom, but our story is rooted in more than just a reaction to the evolving economic pressures at large.
Our commitment to making software for trans people was drawn from our experiences as disabled trans people fighting to survive the current cissexist regime.
We feel that the key to surviving these times is to strengthen the bonds within our community. We want to be more than a business—we want to build a network of trans enterprises that reflects and reinforces our chosen family.
Now, in our third year of business, we have grown our community, both within and beyond the boundaries of our business. We are a community of artists and tech professionals, and we want to share our resources with your communities. We're building tools, we're building practices, and we're creating the beauty we want to see in the world. If you're interested, we invite you to get to know us a little better, as we figure out how to build digital community in a more sustainable way.
Also, check out our shiver! Our shiver is our community of support. What we do wouldn't be possible without them. "Crewmates" are people who have a personal stake in our community. "Deckhands" are crewmates that want to help out and take on an independent contractual role. "Pirates" are those that have legal stake in Blue Shark Friends.
Our commitment to making software for trans people was drawn from our experiences as disabled trans people fighting to survive the current cissexist regime.
We feel that the key to surviving these times is to strengthen the bonds within our community. We want to be more than a business—we want to build a network of trans enterprises that reflects and reinforces our chosen family.
Now, in our third year of business, we have grown our community, both within and beyond the boundaries of our business. We are a community of artists and tech professionals, and we want to share our resources with your communities. We're building tools, we're building practices, and we're creating the beauty we want to see in the world. If you're interested, we invite you to get to know us a little better, as we figure out how to build digital community in a more sustainable way.
Also, check out our shiver! Our shiver is our community of support. What we do wouldn't be possible without them. "Crewmates" are people who have a personal stake in our community. "Deckhands" are crewmates that want to help out and take on an independent contractual role. "Pirates" are those that have legal stake in Blue Shark Friends.
Hannah Parker
Community Weaver
she/her/hers/them
Hi! I am a Community Weaver for Blue Shark Friends. I build relationships. Within our community. With partners. With friends. With you.
If you want to get to know me a little better, here is a work-in-progress prototype web app that I'm working on to better describe myself.
If you want to get to know me a little better, here is a work-in-progress prototype web app that I'm working on to better describe myself.
Josie Stewart
Engineering Strategist
she/her or mey/mer
After working for over a decade as a professional software engineer, I was pushed out of my corporate job after asking for accommodations. I knew I needed to be doing something for my people. I've been embedded in tech development since early childhood, and I wanted to find a way to use my skillset within my community. As a disabled trans woman, sometimes it feels like I have to tell my whole life story for anything about me to make sense. But in the age of Flock cameras and paid Nazi agitators on social media, I don't think you need to know my story to know why we're here.
Blue Shark Friends is important to me, first and foremost, because I need it. I believe community-built and community-supported technology is the only way forward. Not just for me, but for us all.
A lot of folks have already turned to self-employment, and technology is an unavoidable lifeline. I know we can help folks out with our background, and I believe we have to. We need to be a true community—directing our energies and skills into each other as much as possible.
Blue Shark Friends is important to me, first and foremost, because I need it. I believe community-built and community-supported technology is the only way forward. Not just for me, but for us all.
A lot of folks have already turned to self-employment, and technology is an unavoidable lifeline. I know we can help folks out with our background, and I believe we have to. We need to be a true community—directing our energies and skills into each other as much as possible.
Juniper Lusby
Art Director
they/them
Existing at the intersection of queer and disabled and divorced from familial support, I have had to absolutely claw my way out of the gutter and Blue Shark Friends has been instrumental in finding my footing. All I really want is to get my head above water and help others do the same.
Loki Myers
Marketing Strategist
they/them
I'm a disabled parent of cats trying to create space for my family and yours.