A World War II British war hero. A man who helped the Allies to victory by using his mathematical genius to create a machine called the Bombe, which, in turn, enabled the British government to crack the secrets of the German Enigma code. Alan Turing was his name. But he wasn't treated as a hero at all.You see, Turing, who went on to create many new inventions including the Turing machine and the Turing Test, which is often referred to as the basis of modern computing, wasn't given any Governmental or Royal accolades for his achievements.
No. Instead, he was subjected to chemical castration as a liquid "cure" for his homosexuality, having been found guilty of "gross indecency" in 1952 after it was revealed he had been involved in a gay love affair which, at that juncture, was still a crime under British law.
Given the option of either a prison sentence or castration, Turing chose the latter, which would eventually prove to be a fatal decision. The chemical injections he was given involved large doses of estrogen to lower his libido that, when combined with the cocktail of other drugs he was fed, began to alter Turing physically and destabilize him mentally.
Turing was disallowed contact with the government's mathematical programs of which he had been a part for decades, his security clearance was stripped, and slowly his life and its meaning was allowed to fade away. Turing committed suicide on June 7th, 1954, by virtue of cyanide poisoning, dying in Wilmslow, Cheshire, at the age of just 41.
Now, a computer scientist called John Graham-Cumming has started a petition to urge the UK government and the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II (who was in power at the time and still is today), to apologize for those actions that were sanctioned against Turing more than half a century ago.
As this CNN article demonstrates, Graham-Cumming, who has yet to receive a response from the government, or from his request that the Queen grant a posthumous knighthood, said that he was sure Turing's life, and the awful tragedy of his suicide, had much greater significance than being limited to the confines of English soil:
"It is atrocious that we don't recognize this man and the only way to do so is to apologize to him. This man was a national treasure and we hounded him to his death... I'm looking for an apology from the British government because that's where I think the wrong was done. But Turing is clearly someone of international stature."
Find out more about Alan Turing's life and his amazing contribution to the computing world by clicking here.
I ask myself why this campaign has garnered such international focus when many thought it would only ever be an internal British matter. It seems clear to me though, that Alan Turing's life is representative of more than just one tragedy, or one fatal act of prejudice.
Alan Turing was a man of incredible gifts who was disowned by a government he served so well, for the simple fact that he was gay. He is representative of every lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) person who has ever felt the bitter sting of a government's failure to acknowledge their basic human dignity, and is also a harrowing example of the cost of trying to "cure" homosexuality.
Alan Turing could be seen as the embodiment of a largely forgotten generation of LGBT people - British, American and European - who, until very recently, were stifled by the fear that they too would be treated in this way. He is a reminder that, in some countries, LGBTs are still subject to such callous disregard and prejudice, and his story highlights the anachronistic nature of policies like the US military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell stance on LGBT service personnel.
Because of these factors, the British government has to apologize. It is categorically that simple. They have a unique opportunity to bring Alan Turing's life out from the footnotes of history, and to formally admit that the prejudice that drove Alan Turing to suicide, and, in turn, that has kept Alan Turing's legacy obscured for so long, was an act of great inhumanity that must be accounted for.
So, if you live in Britain, here is a link to the Alan Turing Apology petition. Please note that only British citizens or expats can sign.
But wait! There is now also an international petition, so if you live outside of the UK you too can take action. –Care 2
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