Having been convicted of ‘gross indecency’ in 1952 after admitting a sexual relationship with a man, Alan Turing was given a choice of prison or "therapy" conducted by doctors who believed homosexuality was a treatable disease. The “therapy” was in fact chemical castration where a series of injections of oestrogen (female hormones) would be administered. Although men produce oestrogen naturally, excessively high levels of oestrogen in men may result in the development of breasts, decreased sex drive, weight gain and heart failure. The wartime hero, who is famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes, took his own life just two years later by biting into a cyanide-laced apple, at the age of 41.
According to the BBC’s profile of Alan Turing, he had been credited by Winston Churchill with making the single biggest contribution to Allied victory in the war against Nazi Germany. His pivotal role in cracking intercepted messages helped the Allies to defeat the Nazis in several crucial battles.
The apology came after a petition posted on the No 10 Downing Street website, the official site of the Prime Minister’s Office, had attracted 30,000 signatures. The petition was initiated by computer scientist John Graham-Cumming who had called for a posthumous government apology to the computer pioneer. The campaign was backed by author Ian McEwan, scientist Richard Dawkins and gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.
Tatchell told the BBC an estimated 100,000 men were prosecuted for homosexual offences during the last century. Famed writer Oscar Wilde was convicted of “gross indecency” and sentenced to two years' hard labour in 1895.
He said: "It's wrong for the prime minister to just give apologies to celebrities and public figures.
"Unlike Turing, many thousands of ordinary gay and bisexual men were never given the option of hormone treatment as an alternative to jail. They were sent to prison and they need an apology too."
The following statement was posted on number10.gov.uk by Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sep 10, 2009:
Treatment of Alan Turing was “appalling” – PM
The Prime Minister has released a statement on the Second World War code-breaker, Alan Turing, recognising the “appalling” way he was treated for being gay.
Alan Turing, a mathematician most famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes, was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ in 1952 and sentenced to chemical castration.
Gordon Brown’s statement came in response to a petition posted on the Number 10 website which has received thousands of signatures in recent months.
Statement:
2009 has been a year of deep reflection - a chance for Britain, as a nation, to commemorate the profound debts we owe to those who came before. A unique combination of anniversaries and events have stirred in us that sense of pride and gratitude which characterise the British experience. Earlier this year I stood with Presidents Sarkozy and Obama to honour the service and the sacrifice of the heroes who stormed the beaches of Normandy 65 years ago. And just last week, we marked the 70 years which have passed since the British government declared its willingness to take up arms against Fascism and declared the outbreak of World War Two. So 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.
Turing was a quite brilliant mathematician, most famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes. It is no exaggeration to say that, without his outstanding contribution, the history of World War Two could well have been very different. He truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war. The debt of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he was treated so inhumanely. In 1952, he was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ - in effect, tried for being gay. His sentence - and he was faced with the miserable choice of this or prison - was chemical castration by a series of injections of female hormones. He took his own life just two years later.
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.
I am proud that those days are gone and that in the last 12 years this government has done so much to make life fairer and more equal for our LGBT community. This recognition of Alan’s status as one of Britain’s most famous victims of homophobia is another step towards equality and long overdue.
But even more than that, Alan deserves recognition for his contribution to humankind. For those of us born after 1945, into a Europe which is united, democratic and at peace, it is hard to imagine that our continent was once the theatre of mankind’s darkest hour. It is difficult to believe that in living memory, people could become so consumed by hate - by anti-Semitism, by homophobia, by xenophobia and other murderous prejudices - that the gas chambers and crematoria became a piece of the European landscape as surely as the galleries and universities and concert halls which had marked out the European civilisation for hundreds of years. It is thanks to men and women who were totally committed to fighting fascism, people like Alan Turing, that the horrors of the Holocaust and of total war are part of Europe’s history and not Europe’s present.
So on behalf of the British government, and all those who live freely thanks to Alan’s work I am very proud to say: we’re sorry, you deserved so much better.
Gordon Brown
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Reader's Comments
To me, that's the key phrase.
Have you noticed how common it has become in the media, when referring to various events, to mention the fact that such and such celebrities were there "along with many anonymous people"... ?
Well, no, those people are not, are never "anonymous", because that would mean they don't have a name.
They do have a name, only it's not famous, so who gives a rat's ass ? especially what journalist cares ? The words are not a mistake, words never are, even (and especially) when they are ill-chosen. They show and prove the attitude. In this case, a revolting attitude.
Try again, Mr Brown, try again...
As a history student, it saddens me to know countless homosexual men suffered during the Second World War, but it was never heavily 'publicized' like how the Jews suffered during the Holocaust.
Indeed with reference to #1, try again, & try harder.
What about Oscar Wilde then?
What about the past Britons who were charged with 'buggery'?
Seriously, if the government of England wants to come up with an apology, they should do so to an entire community both past and present, and not just merely a single member belonging to that community.
In this article it said : "The apology came after a petition posted on the No 10 Downing Street website, the official site of the Prime Minister’s Office, had attracted 30,000 signatures."
I think its time for a petition on Singapore's very own REACH website. Who wants to start first?
We can start with allowing "unrelated Singaporeans" aka gay couples to own HDB flats (not allowed to even though we pay FULL taxes, what an outrage).
The personal freedoms & social services of the UK are often the subject of jibes and complaints, perhaps its because they have been so used to enjoying only the most just and free society for so long. Many other people in other lands are not so fortunate. (Friskylad - handsome profile :) - is correct)
Alan Turning worked to defeat Nazism. His efforts were truly heroic. His suffering, at that time, is still shocking. At the very least, this statement gives me a sense of pride, about myself and about my birthplace
To whom it may concern, stop finding faults in the corner of your mind – NOT this, NOT with a posthumous apology.
Instead of bitching about what Gordon Brown did or did not do. Why dont you get active in your own back yard where homosexual men and women are still treated in an "appalling manner"... 57 years later!!!
I am practical. Living in Malaysia and know it is almost next to impossible to see equal treatment of GLBT community in my country in my lifetime. I m not going to demand what other government should do but I start with myself. I am out at work, at home and to those who care enough to know. Are you?
If you are still hiding in your closet and scream on top of your lung that you deserve equal right? You are just pure selfish. You are waiting for others to pave the way for you. So, let the world know we are. We are not just in hair & make up or the costume department; we can be as important as someone who's study lead to one of the most important inventions of human history, computer.
If you or I are serious about ending persecution, not just that which affects or is related to us, but really serious about ending it in all its manifestations, then we each might each try to learn to recognize its causes and conditions within ourselves. From there, we each might try to cope with, understand, accept and overcome those causes and conditions within ourselves, slowing freeing ourselves of the shackles of ignorance. Only then, would we each be much better placed, much more effective in helping others free themselves too.
You and I, we are all much more alike than different, yet it's the differences that seem to matter to most of us. Let the past be just that...and let us each do our part to make the present and the future better, not just for ourselves, but for all beings.
You cannot expect to overcome or defeat in others that which you hide and protect within yourself....
To answer #11, we are doing something about it, at least some of us are. Do you really want to compare timelines in homosexual discrimination according to countries?
To answer #12, yes to all your questions, I am out to my family and friends and co-workers and even the company's managing director. And I go one step further. I actually write about equal rights for gays in Malaysia in my column. I do so subtly and do get criticism, but at least it's a start to bring the agenda forward.
I don't begrudge those in Malaysia who wish to remain closeted for the simple fact that the Malay populous (which is entirely Muslim), makes up 60 percent of the nation, can be charged under Sharia law, which would put them in jail for up 20 years plus whipping for being caught in homosexual acts.
And then of course we have Penal Code 377.
Then we have social pressure. While most of my contacts have been either supportive or neutral with my coming out, I'll admit that I'm just damned lucky. Because I've personally seen worse reactions here, especially from the Malay families who are conservative Muslims.
But still, all of us are too aware that there's so much more to be done outside of the UK towards discrimination OF ANY KIND, ain't?
And @ #15. Yeah, I hope that's why they didn't report this piece of news. Plus, you know Singapore & her nonsensical media censorship.
To world peace!
that makes apology indeed formal therefore lacking any sense and content and sincerety altogether. and with this document like with any other piece of paper you can go to you know where and to do you know what.
you boys can say you won/proved something but it's just too late- dead don't twitch. they don't care.
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