We must never forget people like Alan Turing, not simply because of his achievements and what he suffered, but because he did not suffer it alone. Thousands and thousands of LGBT people suffered similar and even worse fates than Alan Turing in the UK, here in the US, and on Mainland Europe. Still, even to this day in places further abroad outside of the West LGBT people STILL suffer similar and worse fates. And since Alan played such a large role in World War II, it seems appropriate to also remember all the gay men who were placed in concentration camps by the Nazi's. If there is one book that I believe should be required reading for every LGBT person it is The Men with the Pink Triangle: The True Life-and-Death Story of Homosexuals in the Nazi Death Camps. A crime almost as bad as the original offense is to forget it ever happened.
Alan Turing was a brilliant man. His work as a mathematician both academically and during WWII stands apart among the achievements of 20th century intellectuals. He life is a testament to the ability of humanity to create. His death is a testament to the pettiness of mankind, and together they speak to progress humanity could make if we could just learn to accept the differences in one another.
It pleases me that the British government has officially apologized, which in my opinion is a good gesture towards our generation.
We owe a lot to this man - things could very easily be very different if it weren't for him. And I shouldn't joke but.. if you are going to commit suicide, a poisoned apple has to be just about the classiest, most dramatic way of doing it.
Ah Turing, what happened to him was a travesty. I know most people post about his code-breaking work during the war, but I think that some of the more interesting things he did are often ignored. He generalized some of Kurt Gödel's results and I believe he was trying to find a counter-example to the Riemann Hypothesis. (For the uninitiated, the Hypothesis is most likely true, but it hasn't been proven yet; assuming such a thing is possible that is :icon_wink ) Most Mathematicians, Logicians, and Computer Engineers deeply respect the man- and they're really the ones who count. It'd be nice to get a pardon from the government though. Idiots... Also: I'd actually be curious to know how many people were known to be LGBT by their respective governments who contributed to the war effort only to be arrested/committed after the war. They should make a documentary or something.