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Thursday, February 26, 2015

Petitioners Ask UK to Pardon 49,000 Convicted Under Anti-Gay Laws

The tragic case of Alan Turing, the British computer wizard credited with leading the team that cracked Nazi Germany's Enigma code, may bring a final pardon to 49,000 men, 15,000 who are still living, convicted under Britain's former anti-homosexuality laws.

A petition posted by Turing's family on Change.org , which so far has garnered 533,944 signatures, asks the government to "pardon all of the estimated 49,000 men who, like Alan Turing, were convicted of consenting same-sex relations under the British 'gross indecency' law (only repealed in 2003), and also all the other men convicted under other UK anti-gay laws."

Turing, portrayed by actor Benedict Cumberbatch in "The Imitation Game," which won the Best Adapted Screenplay award at the Oscars ceremony, was convicted in 1952 of gross indecency because of his relationship with a 19-year-old man, was chemically castrated and, two years later, died from cyanide poisoning at the age of 41, an apparent suicide, NBC News reports .

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

At the time it was Illegal, so DEAL with it.

Anonymous said...

10:03 And now it isn't, now YOU DEAL with it. Crying over this? Yet, it's OK to retroactively pardon death row inmates. POS.

Anonymous said...

Homosexuality is another wedge to divide people, Hitler did the same thing . His brown shirts were all gay, and when he was done with them he killed them.

Anonymous said...

Agreed 10:03! 11:47 on the other hand is too stupid to understand.

Anonymous said...

I'm with 12:21