Worldwide attention has grown on a petition to the British Government demanding an apology for the treatment of gay computer scientist Alan Turing who cracked the Nazi enigma code. Turing was subject to chemical castration for being guilty of homosexuality, and ultimately took his life due to humiliation and shame that was subject upon him.
Over 26,000 British people have signed the British petition to Downing Street demanding a public apology by the government. A similar worldwide petition has been created to show support numbering close to 10,000.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Alan Turing Petitions Gaining Worldwide Attention
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Petition Demanding Apology and Recognition of Computer Scientist Alan Turing
Thousands of people have signed a petition to Downing Street demanding an apology be on the record regarding computer scientist Alan Turing who was defamed by the British Government.
Alan Turing was the greatest computer scientist ever born in Britain. He laid the foundations of computing, helped break the Nazi Enigma code and told us how to tell whether a machine could think.
He was also gay. He was prosecuted for being gay, chemically castrated as a 'cure', and took his own life, at the age of 41.
The British Government should apologize to Alan Turing for his treatment and recognize that his work created much of the world we live in and saved us from Nazi Germany. And an apology would recognize the tragic consequences of prejudice that ended this man's life and career.
Sign the petition to the Prime Minister's office.