| Zimmer | |
|---|---|
 Photo by Peter Tangen | |
| Vital Statistics | |
| Hero | Zimmer |
| Alias(es) | Zimmer Barnes |
| Identity | Public |
| Alter Ego | William Zimmer Barnes |
| Category | Social Activist |
| Location | Austin, Texas, USA 30° 16' 16.06" N, 97° 44' 37.32" W |
| Status | Active |
| Superhero Activity | |
| Team | (current) N/A (former) New York Initiative |
| Affiliates | N/A |
| Foes | Hate, Ignorance |
| Actions | N/A |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Female |
| Outfit | T-shirt with logo (Gray) |
| Colors | Black, Gray |
| Symbol | "Zimmer" in Binary |
| Equipment | Computer |
| Abilities | Tech skills, EMT license |
Zimmer is a Real Life Superhero in Austin, Texas. She was a co-founder for the New York Initiative, as well as the founder of Zimtelligence. Zimmer was known for deliberately not cultivating a secret identity, unlike the norm for many RLSH, due to feelings over the similarity of maintaining an RLSH persona with being "in the closet" as an (at the time) gay man. Recently, Zimmer has taken steps toward living openly as a trans woman.[1]
Zimmer has also spearheaded The Oracle Project and is likely one reason for popularization of the term "Oracle", as one of the first RLSH to emphasize the gathering of intelligence and data to combine it with the use of technology.
History
Zimmer co-founded the New York Initiative (NYI), the founding branch of what would later become the The Initiative Collective, a coalition of various Initiatives based around a location. While a member of the NYI, Zimmer served as the Technology Officer, Researcher and Field Medic, and was featured prominently in the Documentary "Superheroes" by Michael Barnett, along with the other three founding NYI members.
In March of 2012, Zimmer left to establish her own company, Zimtelligence, addressing her departure on Facebook:
"I'm no longer a member of the NYI or any Initiative team. I officially left March 4, 2012. I have nothing to do with anything Zero or the team has done since then. It's not the team I fell in love with anymore. I wish them well with their current and future projects, and hope they can do some real good in their communities."[2]
Despite the statement to the contrary, Zimmer would later work again with Z on occasion, including sharing a guest spot on an episode of Heroes 101 Radio[3].
On February 1, 2019, Zimmer made a Facebook post addressing steps toward living openly as a trans woman.
Gallery
Shade, Samaritan Prime, (unknown), Life, Zimmer
From "Superheroes" behind-the-scenes
References
External Links
The Real Life Super Hero Project: Zimmer
Wikipedia Entry on Zimmer - removed as of 4/13/2017
Wired: "In Brightest Day, In Longest Battery Life: 'Superhero' Supercharges iPhones", June 12, 2012