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[Fuchsia] is also commonly used to indicate transparency.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuchsia_(color)

Does anyone know what this quote means? Why would fuchsia be used to indicate transparency as opposed to a checkered background?

I'm presuming that this is related to computing because of the transparency component (transparent photos don't exist), but if I'm wrong, please feel free to delete this question.

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In images the colour Fuchsia is used to indicate that a pixel should be transparent when there isn't an alpha component to the pixel. This is because the colour doesn't occur frequently in pictures.

opposed to a checkered background

That type of background is used as a visual aid in graphic design programs, it is not stored in the image itself.

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By any chance, do you have an example of this? – waiwai933 May 6 '10 at 3:37
No, but if you search for some sprite tutorials (sprites use this technique quite commonly) you should see this. – ta.speot.is May 6 '10 at 4:16
In GIF files, the "transparent" color is actually stored in the file. Compare this Tweety Bird in your web browser and in Paint: mywickedspace.com/graphics/glitter/Animals/i53855315_83351.gif – Bavi_H May 7 '10 at 3:30
(It's up to the person or program making the GIF file what color is used as the transparent color. Most GIF search results I found used white, black, or gray as the transparent color. But a bright color like magenta or green or cyan might be used to help spot stray transparent pixels.) – Bavi_H May 7 '10 at 3:48
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