The Life of Alan Turing - LGBT+ History Month

Hannah_Alumni

[Image of Alan Turing]

With it being LGBT+ History Month, we wanted to highlight some figures in the LGBT+ community.

Today, we’re talking about Alan Turing, the famous code breaker who is, considered to be, the “father” of computer science and artificial intelligence.

A brilliant mathematician, Turing worked at Bletchley Park during World War Two. His focus was cracking the Enigma code, which he succeeded in doing. It is said the work that Alan and his team at Bletchley did, significantly shortened the war.

After Alan’s amazing work during World War Two, he went on to make more notable contributions to computer engineering, work for the National Physical Laboratory and work for the GCCS (now GCHQ). Even holding high ranking positions in Mathematic departments at the University of Manchester.

But his impressive career isn’t all who he was.

Alan Turing was a gay man convicted in the early 1950’s of homosexuality, which was illegal at the time. Alan was forced to choose between hormonal treatment to reduce his libido or imprisonment. He chose the treatment which made him impotent. Because of this conviction, Alan’s security clearance was removed, meaning he no longer was allowed to work at the GCCS.

Turing died on 7th June 1954, his cause of death was cyanide poisoning and ruled a suicide.

But Alan’s work did not stop there, posthumously getting the recognition he so deserved. At the time Prime Minister Gordon Brown released a statement which apologized to Turing for prosecuting him as a homosexual. And our late Queen Elizabeth II granted Turing a rare royal pardon in 2013.

In 2016, the British government announced Turing’s Law, which posthumously pardoned thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted for homosexual acts.

I am in awe of people like Alan Turing.

daz2

My wife's grandmother worked for Turing at Bletchley Park on the Enigma machine during WWII. 

Grinchy

What a brilliant man, a real shame what happened to him, i'm glad the world has moved on from those dark times, may he rest in peace

Hannah_Alumni

That's amazing @daz2 Did she have many stories about him?

That's beautiful @EffinMuppet everyone should feel like they belong I have also heard he may have had Asperger's, which is interesting. As we learn to not repeat the actions of the past, we also learn what more could have been done for people. Particularly in Alan's time period with war.
Being a community of many with and without disabilities here, seeing the progress diagnosis, medicines and therapies have made when we look back on influential figures is such a "pop the kettle on" lets discuss moment. 

@Grinchy I am hopeful that we continue to treat such brilliance for what it is and not because of who they love.

daz2

She died in December last year aged 98 but only talked about her time working with Turing during the last 10 years of her life. 

Hannah_Alumni

I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm glad your wife, and family were able to have so many years with her.