Alan Turing
Gordon Brown has published an official apology for the British Government’s “appalling” treatment of the gay mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing.
Following a online petition that attracted over 30,000 signatures and support from high profile figures such as Stephen Fry and Peter Tatchell the prime minister published a full statement on the Number 10 website today.
Turing was prosecuted for ‘gross indecency’ and given a choice of chemical castration or a prison term in 1952. After choosing the former he committed suicide two years later, after being prevented from continuing his government work due to security considerations.
Alan Turing’s code-breaking work at Bletchley Park was particularly valuable to the war effort and without his brilliant input WW2 may have had a very different outcome.
In his statement Gordon Brown says
“…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.”
The prime minister goes on to say
“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.”
On the Twitter networking site, Stephen Fry twittered:
“Whatever one’s view of current gov, it’s surely good they’ve listened? Isn’t it about time? Hurrah for AT”
Read the full government apology here
By staff writer
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
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What do you think of this government apology? Feel free to comment below:
September 11th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Good points John! Agreed other parties would do the same!
And you’re right - this petition struck a deep collective chord that resonates through us all. Like you, I feel deeply happy about it, and emotional too.
September 11th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Hi David,
As this was a petition devoted to a very selective target, I’m sure there would have been no apology. Like myself, I’m sure most of the people who signed it did so as it was suddenly brought to their attention, and it chimed with a deeply felt sense of the ill-treatment meted out to so many LGBT people in previous decades. And what if it is a bit of an election pitch? Wouldn’t the other political parties behave in the same way, especially if they were able to point to real results and electoral promises kept, as this government can, and the others glaringly cannot? So I’d say, don’t be sad or cynical, be thrilled as you feel you ought to be, because your own blog feature made many more of us aware of Alan Turing’s fate and hastened this result.
September 11th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Hi John
I was also very touched by this apology, and the moving wording it contained.
However, I still can’t help but feel there may be a more cynical motive behind it. There is a general election coming soon. The government have made quite a lot of progress on gay equality over the years, and the LGBT sector is a sizeable source of votes for them. I wonder if this very visible apology helps capitalise on these votes.
This is in part reinforced by the disappointing reminder in the apology of the work the government has done toward LGBT equality over the years. Look at the publicity the government got out of this - 30,000 highly targeted emails mostly to LGBT people (the apology was emailed to all 30,000 subscribers) and massive press and news coverage - all at practically no cost.
As I write this I feel sad I’m writing it. I’m thrilled Alan Turing has a full apology, but I can’t help suspect the government’s motives may not be totally pure.
Would we have seen this apology if there wasn’t an election coming up?
September 11th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
This is a very welcome and compassionate response to the Alan Turing petition by Gordon Brown, underlining the very real commitment the Labour government has shown to LGBT people throughout. No one can accuse the Prime Minister of dithering or indecisiveness on this issue - this is a prompt and generous apology not only to Turing, but to the \"many thousands\" who suffered at the hands of \"homophobic laws\", as Brown acknowledges.
I just hope when the next election takes place that we all remember how Labour kept it\’s promises in contrast to the last Conservative period in office when every LGBT reform was consistently opposed. Gordon Brown is, in my opinion, one of the best PMs we\’ve had in ages, and his homage to the brilliant, persecuted Turing is just one more reason why.