The British government has apologized for the appalling way it treated one of the men most responsible for winning WWII.
I am both pleased and proud that, thanks to a coalition of computer scientists, historians and LGBT activists, we have this year a chance to mark and celebrate another contribution to Britain’s fight against the darkness of dictatorship; that of code-breaker Alan Turing.
It’s been a long time coming, and it’s good to finally hear something like this from 10 Downing St.
Thousands of people have come together to demand justice for Alan Turing and recognition of the appalling way he was treated. While Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can’t put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him. Alan and the many thousands of other gay men who were convicted as he was convicted under homophobic laws were treated terribly. Over the years millions more lived in fear of conviction.
If you haven’t heard the story of Turing, it’s fairly well explained in the statement. The whole thing is on the PM’s website. Also you should read Cryptonomicon.
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