Turing was a quite brilliant mathematician, most famous for his work on
breaking the German Enigma codes. It is no exaggeration to say that, without
his outstanding contribution, the history of the Second World War could have
been very different. He truly was one of those individuals we can point to
whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war. The debt of
gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he
was treated so inhumanely.
In 1952, he was convicted of "gross indecency" – in effect, tried
for being gay. His sentence – and he was faced with the miserable choice of
this or prison – was chemical castration by a series of injections of female
hormones. He took his own life just two years later.
I am pleased to have the chance to say how
deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him.
