Thanks for everything, Alan Turing
BESIDES an apology, the world owes Alan Turing a tremendous amount of gratitude. Sir Winston Churchill, as historical records show, praised Turing for “making the single biggest contribution to Allied victory in the war against Nazi Germany.” As a code-breaker and mathematician, Turing helped accelerate Allied efforts to read German Naval messages enciphered with their Enigma machine, a crucial breakthrough to shortening World War II and saving millions of lives.
But in 1952, he was charged with gross indecency. It was a time when being gay was a criminal offense in homophobic United Kingdom. In 2009, thenbritish Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued a public apology on behalf of the British government for their horrible treatment of Turing. In 2013, Queen Elizabeth II granted Turing a posthumous pardon.
Before the passing of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Turing was celebrated in the news for his forthcoming £50 note to be released by the Bank of England. Incidentally, I was able to visit the Alan Turing Memorial in Manchester’s Gay Village in 2019. This development excites me no end.
“Alan Turing represents so much of what we fight for and how far we still have to travel before we are living in a truly inclusive world,” Mark Fletcher, the chief executive of Manchester Pride told Bbc.com. “It’s only right his legacy is honored by those who know and respect his work and brought forward to help educate those who may not be aware of the significant impact he had on society and the way we live today. And, equally as important, how he was treated for simply being himself.”
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH IN ‘THE IMITATION GAME’ (2014)
IN Morten Tyldum’s Oscar Best Picture nominee, Cumberbatch plays the code-breaker.
The film and Cumberbatch’s performance may be acclaimed, but the LGBT community wasn’t as ecstatic. Turing’s homosexuality was barely hinted at. He was portrayed as humorless and friendless. And was so not into fashion. The last part may be true, though. What do code-breakers wear?
The model-thin Cumberbatch wore periodappropriate clothing, inspired by suits bearing the label CC41 that was rationed during the war. Turing was said to prefer wearing pajamas even in public but the film opted to highlight his habit of wearing checked ties with checked shirts, suits or vests. Thus, the linear graphic prints and geometrical patterns in the ensembles.
Sammy Sheldon Differ, the film’s costume designer, was nominated for the film at the BAFTAS and at the Costume Designers Guild Awards. Milena Canonero won both prizes for Grand Budapest Hotel.
TIA KOFI
EARLIER this year, there was a mini-scandal in the LGBT community after the airing of the “Gay Icons” episode of the second season of Rupaul’s Drag Race UK. Tia Kofi, a Nigerian-british contestant, chose Turing as her icon. On the recap show Fashion Photo Review (FPR), host Raja (US Drag Race Season 3 winner) told The Vivienne (UK Season 1 winner): “I’m going to assume that maybe this Alan Turing person might have been a cross-dresser too?” Viv replied: “Well, girl, just like you I haven’t got a clue who Alan Turing is.” The gay community gagged, but the Welsh drag queen immediately apologized in a tweet: “As an LGBTQ+ person I apologise for not knowing the reference in @Tiakofi’s look on the FPR this week. This shows the power of drag to educate and teach. I’m still learning and growing as a person, so thank you Tia for educating me about Alan Turing and his importance in history.”
Tia replied: “I agree! Drag can definitely educate and teach. This is exactly why I chose to do a tribute to Alan Turing this week on Drag Race UK. I’m soooo happy more people are learning about his genius and [his] impact on all of our lives.”
Tia, who lives in Nottingham, explains her choice: “My hero. Alan Turing was a genius. His work is thought to have reduced the war by years and saved so many lives. Despite his work, he was prosecuted in 1952 simply for being gay. He received a posthumous royal pardon in 2013, the same year homosexuality was fully decriminalised in the UK. That’s only eight years ago. Read up on your history, support others in their struggle and learn about the continuing fight towards equality.”
BANK OF ENGLAND
IN 2019, then-bank of England governor Mark Carney announced that Alan Turing will appear on the new £50 polymer note, a switch from paper money. Turing was chosen from 227,299 nominations, covering 989 eligible characters. The bank note will begin circulation on June 23, the mathematician’s birthday.
“Alan Turing was an outstanding mathematician whose work has had an enormous impact on how we live today. As the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, as well as a war hero, Alan Turing’s contributions were far ranging and path breaking. Turing is a giant on whose shoulders so many now stand,” Carney said.
“Turing was embraced for his brilliance and persecuted for being gay,” the UK’S intelligence agency GCHQ Director Jeremy Fleming told Bbc.com. “His legacy is a reminder of the value of embracing all aspects of diversity, but also the work we still need to do to become truly inclusive.” ■