Secondly, while Turing’s suffering at the hands of a brutal, inhumane law is regrettable, and marks out a chapter in history which should by no means be ignored, pardoning him only reinforces the idea that cut him down in the first place – that his sexuality should have any impact on his standing in society. From his crucial work in cracking the German Enigma code, which it is estimated shortened the war by as much as two years, to his trailblazing work in the foundation of computer science and even artificial intelligence, Turing is a man of profound historical and technological importance.
But turning him into a symbolic victim of Britain’s murky, anti-gay past only stresses the idea that his private life should somehow colour his memory. Rather than celebrate him because of his achievements, which attest to the human capacity for greatness that transcends race, creed or sexual orientation, it mires him in the shallow identity politics of today.
