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An official apology to Turing
Sep. 11th, 2009 07:43 amAlan Turing is one of my heroes. Without him, we would live in a very different world. He was one of the minds behind the code-breaking that turned the tide of a world war; he was one of the people who laid the foundations of modern computing.
And some years after the war, when he was no longer needed for the country's defence, he was stripped of his security clearance and sentenced to a choice of prison or submitting to a drastic chemical castration "cure" for his criminal illness -- homosexuality. He committed suicide two years later.
It has taken 55 years. But yesterday the Prime Minister issued an official apology for the way Turing was treated. It's a long statement, acknowledging along the way that it wasn't just Turing who suffered. But the last few words say it all: "We’re sorry, you deserved so much better."
And some years after the war, when he was no longer needed for the country's defence, he was stripped of his security clearance and sentenced to a choice of prison or submitting to a drastic chemical castration "cure" for his criminal illness -- homosexuality. He committed suicide two years later.
It has taken 55 years. But yesterday the Prime Minister issued an official apology for the way Turing was treated. It's a long statement, acknowledging along the way that it wasn't just Turing who suffered. But the last few words say it all: "We’re sorry, you deserved so much better."