Remember how we told you that there was a petition to ask the British government to apologize for chemically castrating computer science legend Alan Turing during WWII because he was gay? Yea well, Prime Minister Gordon Brown finally did today!
It was about freaking time. Turing, a father of computer science and WWII code-breaker, confessed to having sex with a man, was prosecuted by the British government for being gay, given experimental chemical castration as a "treatment" and then committed suicide in 1954. Ridiculous, is right.
So after thousands signed the recent petition, UK PM Gordon Brown had this to say:
While Mr Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can't put the clock back, 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.
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.
Brown is dead on. It can't be changed. Nothing will change the fact that this man was physically harmed for his sexual orientation, but acknowledging it happened and saying sorry for it is a step in remembering this incredible geek and his legacy. This seriously makes our day. [BBC]