This seems to come round every now and again. Turing was a brilliant man to whom the word undoubtedly owes a great deal, However he is actually a rotten hero for Gay Rights!
Should he be “Pardoned”?
Well, No. And here’s why not!
The Alan Turing story tends to be told as if to imply that he was somehow the victim of a brutal state machine persecuting him for attempting to lead a normal life within his own natural genetic preferences.
This is really not what happened.
Firstly, the idea that either the security services or his colleges were unaware of his homosexuality or that his disgrace came as a result of some sudden discovery by the authorities is frankly risible! Of course they knew! Did anybody care?? No
Alan Turing’s “fall from grace” began when he (at the age of 40) picked up an anonymous teenager (Rent Boy :-/ ) outside a Hotel..(Something that would have still been illegal long after 1967 BTW)
After a number of “Brief encounters” he invited this youth back to his home. Subsequently the youth, along with an accomplice attempted to burgle Mr Turing’s home.
At this point he reported it to the Police. During the course of this investigation Mr Turing admitted to the Police that Homosexual acts had taken place.
Now, for starters, even by modern standards this represents pretty bizarre behaviour, borderline paedophilia even. Added to which, the police could hardly brush the issue aside even if they wanted too (Which they probably did actually). Any more than they could if somebody complained that their next-door neighbours 14-year-old daughter and boyfriend had attempted to burgle his house. Oh, and by the way, he had had sex with her the previous week!
Now, if we add in the fact that this was a man involved in top secret military research with a high level security clearance who had let a complete stranger of doubtful provenance into his home then the shear scale of his irresponsibility and the betrayal of the trust of his colleagues for the sake of a bit of self indulgent self gratification becomes apparent.
Of Course, anyone displaying this scale of poor judgement and lack of self-control should lose his job and security clearance. Anybody today who was in a similar position of trust who got into a similar mess through associating with prostitutes should be treated the same way. This isn’t a “Gay Rights” issue. It is a “Being a bloody idiot who cant keep it in his trousers” issue!
Should Turing be remembered as a brilliant mathematician who helped to lay the foundations of a new technology?-Yes
Should he be remembered as someone who helped this country defeat the Germans?-yes
Should we have sympathy for somebody whose personal issues clearly went Waaay beyond simply being a homosexual in 1950’ Britain-Yes Too!
Should he be held up as a “Cause Celebre” for Gay Rights and given a "Pardon" in recognition of some sort of ill-treatment by the authorities?
Well No, Not unless Gays forever wish to be associated with this sort of bizarre self indulgent, irresponsible behaviour with even a little bit of borderline paedophilia rubbed in for good measure!
