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Loading...Alan Turing Still A Criminal In The Eyes Of The Law
A brilliant mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and pioneer of computer science, Alan Turing was a hero of the British war effort in WWII – that is, until reporting a burglary to the police launched an investigation into Turing’s homosexuality in 1952.
Turing was charged with “gross indecency” for admitting to homosexual acts, which were illegal in the United Kingdom at the time. The charges ruined his life: he lost his security clearance and was barred from continuing his work with the Government Communications Headquarters. He was also given a choice of punishment: serve a prison term, or undergo medical intervention to reduce his libido. He was chemically castrated via estrogen injections for the final years of his life.
The charges tormented Turing, and in June 1954 he was found dead from cyanide poisoning in his home. The official cause of death was listed as suicide. Today, though widely recognized as a genius and immortalized in the Turing Awards and the “Turing Test” of artificial intelligence, the horrifying treatment he experienced for his sexual identity is often glossed over or ignored.
In 2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued an official apology for the Turing’s “appalling” treatment by the British government. However, he has never been pardoned for committing the “crime” of admitting he was gay.
That’s not likely to change anytime soon. Despite a petition with more than 21,000 signatures demanding that Turing’s conviction be overturned, the government has refused to budge. Justice Minister Lord McNally said in a statement:
“A posthumous pardon was not considered appropriate as Alan Turing was properly convicted of what at the time was a criminal offence. He would have known that his offence was against the law and that he would be prosecuted.
It is tragic that Alan Turing was convicted of an offence which now seems both cruel and absurd-particularly poignant given his outstanding contribution to the war effort. However, the law at the time required a prosecution and, as such, long-standing policy has been to accept that such convictions took place and, rather than trying to alter the historical context and to put right what cannot be put right, ensure instead that we never again return to those times.”
This is only adding insult to injury for the UK LGBT community. What point is there in immortalizing the fact that a man “knowingly broke the law” by being himself? And what of the other men convicted and tortured under this law when it was still in effect? Was the law somehow deserved by gay men who weren’t recognized as a crucial part of the war effort?
The conviction won’t suddenly be erased from the historical record just because the government decides to pardon it. With a pardon, the UK could make clear, once and for all, that the law itself was unjust and morally indefensible – not merely “cruel and absurd.”
Related Stories:
Alan Turing Gets Faceless Stamp of Approval
Alan Turing – A Gay War Hero the UK Government “Hounded To Death”
LGBT History Month Helps Make Homophobia History in UK School?
Read more: alan turing, gay rights, homophobia
Photo by: Steve Parker
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63 comments
+ add your ownThis is an embarassment. The history cannot be undone, but an official apology or a pardon or an exoneration or something should be done to express a condemnation of the injustices of the past. If it is a big deal to 21,000 supporters of the move, then it is something that is probably meaningful to the UK LGBT community and would be a powerful symbol of inclusion that could be had at no real cost.
While I agree he should be given a posthumous pardon, as a way of acknowledging that this was unjust, I disagree with those who say the record should be purged. History should not be edited, and if we try to forget or erase that these kind of wrongs were ever committed, we'll lose the lessons history has to teach us about them.
Alan Turing was NEVER a criminal, no pardon...exoneration is what should happen.
Alan Turing was caught up in the 50s era. He likely would not have been prosecuted, had he been a street sweeper.
Sad and harsh times in Britain, he chose to stay and help his country rebuild, instead of emigrating, and thhis is how he was repayed.
his record should be totally erased, he should be pardoned, and given a post-humous Knighthood.
Pardon Alan Turing?
He should never have been prosecuted in the first place but, as the era in which he lived was extremely harsh, the least any British government should do is offer him a postumous knighthood, or at least a medal for his work for this Country during its greatest hour of need.
In fact, all those working at Bletchley Park should be recognised for breaking the "impossibe to crack" Enigma code.
these are the kinds of things that people should be pardoned for; criminal offenses that are no longer illegal and should never have been illegal to begin with. or do you prefer the convicted murderers that former mississippi governor haley barber pardoned?
You are right on, Jane. It is a crime that he is still considered a criminal-what brutal times we've lived through.
Homophobia
In order to be a homophobe it has to occupy a significant part of your brain, and this means that homophobes are thinking about men/women rubbing penises/vaginas together in a 24/7 gay porno. That’s an awful lot of gay thoughts for supposedly straight people who hate gays. I bet even gay people don’t think about gay stuff as much as homophobes do.
Homophobes (aka Anti-Gay Movement) are not protesting against bestiality, pedophilia (with/without a priest involved), rape, sexual exploitation, or any other form of non-consensual sexual act in which a victim is forced against their will to participate
The Homophobes are protesting a private sexual act being performed by two consenting adults.
HOMOPHOBE = I DON’T LIKE GAY (SUPPOSEDLY) THEREFORE NO ONE SHOULD BE GAY.
Homosexuals = fighting for the right to control their own behavior.
Homophobes = fighting for the right to control other peoples behavior.
The right thing to do would be to give a sweeping pardon of everyone ever convicted under that law, with an apology read aloud, on camera, to each and every victim of that law by name.
lt's called History, people. You cannot change it. It happened then, not now. The laws have changed, but not history. This is just another "in your face" attempt to get attention for the gay community.
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