http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25495315
I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
Alan Turing gets royal pardon for homosexuality conviction in 1952
by Xanthippe 7 Replies latest social current
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Witness My Fury
Too little too late as usual....
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Simon
Way too late but important to show that times and policies have changes.
One of the few men who could genuinely claim to have had a very direct influence on the outcome of the war ... and that is how he was treated afterwards - incredible.
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cantleave
About time.
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caliber
Sad and shocking results...
he drug cyproterone acetate has been commonly used for chemical castration throughout Europe. It resembles the drug MPA used in America. [ 5 ]
In the United Kingdom, computer scientist Alan Turing, famous for his contributions to mathematics and computer science, was a homosexual who chose to undergo chemical castration in order to avoid imprisonment in 1952. [ 21 ] At the time, homosexual acts between males were still illegal and homosexuality was widely considered to be a mental illness that could be treated with chemical castration. [ 21 ] Turing experienced side effects such as breast enlargement [ 22 ] and bloating of the physique. [ 21 ] He died two years later, with the inquest returning a verdict of suicide, [ 23 ] although recent research has cast doubt on this result. [ 24 ] In 2009, the then British Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued a public apology for the "appalling" treatment of Turing after an online petition seeking the same gained 30,000 signatures and international recognition. [ 25 ] He was given a posthumous Royal Pardon in December 2013.
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quellycatface
I saw that on the news last night. Poor guy and his family. Rest in peace. Thank you for your genius Mr Turing.
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fulltimestudent
I liked the thoughts expressed in a commentary on this pardon in the English Telegraph:
The symbolism of the poisoned apple is strong, because it’s such a potent representation of how Britain treated the man: we took something beautiful, and poisoned it with our malice, then killed it.
Graeme Archer, http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/graemearcher/100251826/degrees-of-freedom-the-legacy-of-alan-turing/
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No-one can say how Turing's personal life may have turned out, if he had lived. It was difficult for people attracted to theri own sex to form lasting personal relationships in those times of persecution of gay men and women. Nonetheless a Christian inspired hatred did poison this aspect of Turing's life.
Those of us who love true freedom should never forget all the evil things done to non-believers by those Christians who felt they were serving an imaminary Yahweh or Jesus.
There should be a plaque on his grave,
"This man was killed by Christian hate!"