Petition Seeks UK Apology for Treatment of Alan Turing

[mkrishnan]

This has been going on for a few weeks, but I just heard about it, and it doesn't seem to have gotten a thread yet.

Good cause du jour, especially if you are a citizen of the crown.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/09/01/alan.turing.petition/?imw=Y

LONDON, England (CNN) -- An online petition demanding a formal apology from the British government for its treatment of World War II code-breaker Alan Turing is gaining momentum.

Turing was subjected to chemical castration in 1952 after being found guilty of the charge of gross indecency for having a homosexual relationship, an illegal act at the time. He committed suicide two years later.

More than 19,000 people have added their names to the petition on the UK Government Web site since it opened three weeks ago, urging the government to "recognize the tragic consequences of prejudice that ended this man's life and career."

The petition was created by computer scientist John Graham-Cumming, who said he grew "mad" at the country's memory of a man he says should be considered one of its national heroes.

"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," Graham-Cumming said.

Turing was best known for inventing the Bombe, a code-breaking machine that deciphered messages encoded by German Enigma machines during World War II.

The messages provided the Allies with crucial information from the British government's code-breaking headquarters in Bletchley Park where Turing worked full-time during the war.

He was considered a mathematical genius and went on to develop the Turing machine, a theory that automatic computation cannot solve all mathematical problems, which is considered the basis of modern computing.

However, to avoid a custodial sentence for gross indecency Turing agreed to undergo chemical castration. He was injected with estrogen, an experience that is widely believed to have led to his suicide just two years later. Turing was just 41 when he ended his life by eating an apple laced with cyanide.

The UK petition: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/turing/?showall=1
The INT petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/worldturingpetition/index.html

[bartelby]

I've already signed the UK petition...

[OllyW]

Signed up.

It was disgusting the way they treated him. :mad:

[mkrishnan]

Yeah, I signed the international petition of support... we should never pass up on an opportunity to correct an injustice.

[remmy]

Signatures: 21,458 so far

[Unspoken Demise]

Its sad that this petition/ apology will not change what happened to this man. :(
EDIT: Signed INT petition.

[Eraserhead]

Signed it. An apology may not reverse things but its good to accept responsibility.

28'000 signatures now.

[Carl Abudephane]

Signed. I first read about this only a couple of years ago and still, now, I feel so much anger and sadness when I think about it.

[Vster]

Signed. Sad and disgusted by they way he was treated.

[juanm]

Disgusted and signed.

[Bennieboy©]

signed, seems to be the way the english government seem to treat people that actually do and have helped this country out in some way, ( lockerbie bomber walks free for instance ) :mad:

[nick9191]

A disgusting and shameful era of Britain.

Nevertheless, I don't feel the UK Government should apologise, since it wasn't the current administration that did it. It wasn't even the same political party (Churchill and the Tories). Brown should certainly come out and say that it was wrong and disgraceful, but an apology from him would be like him apologising for Mary 1st killing Protestants 400 years ago.

If there has to be an apology, then it should come from Cameron since it was the Conservatives that did it.

[noaccess]

Signed. Reading about this a few years ago saddened me a great deal, what the govt. did to him was absolutely sickening. Glad to see people are demanding an apology.

[mkrishnan]

but an apology from him would be like him apologising for Mary 1st killing Protestants 400 years ago.

Is this not done the world over? Just in recent years... Japan's government made (in its case, minimal) apologies for war atrocities committed during WWII by people who are predominantly dead now. The US government apologized for Tuskegee even though most of the individuals who decided to do such a thing are dead. The Pope apologized on behalf of the Church for actions taken during WWII...

I don't think an apology is an admission of personal guilt in this case... no one thinks this is Gordon Brown's fault (he has plenty of his own cock-ups to answer for), but in most of the world it's generally seen as right that it's the government's place, being the same institution that existed 60 years ago, that should apologize, even though the people are different.

[mbpnewbie]

I don't get it.... Dude died 50 + years ago and NOW they want an appology?!?! I will reserve my judgement on homosexuals as I have been temporarily banned in the past for posting my opinions about this subject....

[djellison]

Is this not done the world over?

IT is - and I still don't see the point in it. It's possibly the most hollow, empty gesture one can imagine.

What was done was wrong, tragic, but can not be taken back.

Let us, instead, celebrate the guys achievements with exhibitions, celebration and inspiration for the next generation of scientists and engineers.

[mkrishnan]

IT is - and I still don't see the point in it. It's possibly the most hollow, empty gesture one can imagine.

What was done was wrong, tragic, but can not be taken back.

Let us, instead, celebrate the guys achievements with exhibitions, celebration and inspiration for the next generation of scientists and engineers.

We should certainly do that, yeah, but it seems to me that, although sometimes it is particularly hollow, in other times, it's really important to members of oppressed groups....

[Scepticalscribe]

Signed. Yes, it may be a gesture, but sometimes, gestures are the only way one can express how one thinks and what one feels about something. It is important to take a stance, sometimes. In any case, even if one cannot undo the injustices of the past, it is important to express regret. That way, at least, one may learn some lessons from what happened, and insist that this path not be taken in ther future, rather than seek to replicate it.

Alan Turing was an absolute genius - take a look at the British movie about his life made around 10-15 years ago - the wonderful British actor Derek Jacobi played the part of Turing - and his treatment was an appalling reflection of the blind prejudice and sheer injustice which informed the values of the society in which he lived. He should have been feted and honoured, instead of hounded and humiliated.

Cheers

[peskaa]

Signed.

Turing is a man who should not be forgotten, ever.

[MOFS]

signed, seems to be the way the english government seem to treat people that actually do and have helped this country out in some way, ( lockerbie bomber walks free for instance ) :mad:

Actually from what I understand of the issue (Turing was tried for performing a homossexual act, found guilty and then forced to take testosterone to "cure" him which ultimately lead to his suicide), the kind of attitude towards homosexualtity was similar worldwide:

Psychology was one of the first disciplines to study homosexuality as a discrete phenomenon. In the late 19th and throughout most of the 20th centuries, pathological models of homosexuality were standard. In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. The American Psychological Association Council of Representatives adopted the same measure in 1975.

link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_and_psychology)

[djellison]

I still don't get why people want an apolgy, today.

The people to blame for the opression of homosexuals 60 years ago, are dead. Turing, tragically early, is dead.

No politician of government today should be apologising for what happened 60 years ago. It's utterly utterly meaningless and, to be honest, detracts from the lessons learnt.

Homosexuals were treated dreadfully back then - unforgivable, infact. Saying "oops - sorry" 60 years later doesn't make that treatment go away. It doesn't make it better. It's almost like people are trying to draw a line under it and make it go away.

An 'apology' doesn't make what happened any better. I felt the same way when the government attempted to apologise for the slave trade, and the Vatican apology for Galileo. Utterly utterly pointless and to be honest, insulting to the memories of those that have suffered.

It's modern politicians and statesmen trying to get a popularity and publicity boost by seing people disgusted with acts long in the past and basically, issuing an 'apology' to say "Yes, this was bad, wasn't it".

Yes it was - but it's NOTHING to do with you. Get on with your job and make damn well sure you're not doing something people will want an apology for in 2069.

My respect and admiration for Turing knows no bounds - and my disgust at things done to him and others at the time is immesurable. I don't want to see a meaningless empty 'apology' for the treatment of Alan Turing. I want to see a charitable organisation setup to fund higher education for the unprivileged in STEM subjects, in Turing's honour. Something meaningful, honorable, and purposeful.

[RedTomato]

Signed. (UK)

He wasn't just treated disgustingly, he was someone who had made a major, major contribution to the war effort, and was shafted for it.

All modern computers are Turing machines, and in 1999 he was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.

I was going to say, I'd rather he was given an award, not an apology, but wiki says he was given the OBE in secret for his war effort. Maybe another, more public, award would be appropriate.

I didn't know he was a keen long distance runner, and sometimes ran the 40 miles down to London when he was summoned there for high-level meetings. Rather him than me :o

[RedTomato]

NEWSFLASH

30 mins (literally) after I signed the petition, Gordon Brown (UK Prime Minister) has released an official apology to Alan Turing. BBC news says it was a direct result of this internet petition. Nice!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8249792.stm


Gordon Brown has released a statement on World War II code breaker Alan Turing, recognising the "appalling" way he was treated for being gay.

It follows a petition on the Downing Street website calling for a posthumous apology to the computer pioneer.
...

Mr Brown said: "While Mr 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."

He said Mr Turing deserved recognition for his contribution to humankind.

In the statement he said: "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."

[neilg]

Excellent news!:D

[bartelby]

NEWSFLASH

30 mins (literally) after I signed the petition, Gordon Brown (UK Prime Minister) has released an official apology to Alan Turing. BBC news says it was a direct result of this internet petition. Nice!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8249792.stm

Bloody hell!

You're one hell of an influential person!!:D


It's good news though.

[Ntombi]

Good to hear!

I'd been following the story since I heard it on the BBC some weeks ago.



IMO, public apologies do make a difference. It's not that anyone thinks that the individuals presently in charge of the government (or corporation) had anything to do with past bad acts, but the entity lives on, and those who have inherited the mantle of leadership also inherit the glory and the shame of past acts, albeit symbolically. The apology is an acknowledgment the pain that the entity (gov't or org) has caused.

[Queso]

I've just received the following e-mail from Number 10

Thank you for signing this petition. The Prime Minister has written a
response. Please read below.

Prime Minister: 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

This is actually far more than I was hoping for. Although it is primarily apologising for the shameful treatment of Alan Turing, it is also apologising for similar past treatment and prejudice dished out to LGBT people.

Thank you Gordon Brown.

[Ntombi]

That's a wonderful statement.

[PeteB]

It's a shame that despite the eloquent apology from the Prime Minster's office, the government is doing nothing to contribute to the upkeep of Bletchley Park which is fast running into a state of disrepair from lack of funding.

What better memorial could there be of Turing's (and Tommy Flowers') achievements could there be than showcasing what they did to shorten the war and save countless lives (on both sides of the conflict)?

[mkrishnan]

That's a wonderful statement.

I heard this Friday night on NPR driving to Chicago after work and I was really touched. I like too that it was directly the result of the petition and that Brown called The mathemetician who started the petition also to let him know it was coming directly. It was definitely a happy blip on the evening news.

[djellison]

It's a shame that despite the eloquent apology from the Prime Minster's office, the government is doing nothing to contribute to the upkeep of Bletchley Park which is fast running into a state of disrepair from lack of funding.

This is exactly why MY way of celebrating Turing was the other half an I visiting Bletchley on Sat. £23 including parking - and truthfully - there's two days+ of stuff to see. We'll be going back. Got to see Turing's old office and said my own little thankyou, watched a working Colossus (you think a Macbook chucks out some heat - oh BOY!), and some very cool 80's computing hardware.

Anyone within a couple of hours should get there PRONTO. It's amazing.

[djellison]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/8279926.stm

EXCELLENT news - Lottery money to help out at Bletchley.