Stephen Fry is the latest high profile figure to sign the petition calling for a government apology to gay war time hero Alan Turing. Turing, a world renowned mathematician, famously invented the Bombe, a machine that helped decipher German enigma encoded messages, and lead to the end of World War ll. Often considered the father of modern computer science, he was awarded an OBE in 1945 for his contributions to the war effort. In 1952 after being found guilty of gross indecency for having a homosexual relationship, an illegal offence at the time, Turin was given the choice of chemical castration or a prison sentence. He chose the former and two year later, aged 41, committed suicide. In a post on social networking site Twitter, broadcaster Stephen Fry has urged the public to sign the appeal which has attracted more than 30,000 signatures so far. Professor Steven Hawkings, novelist Ian McEwan and activist Peter Tatchell have joined Fry, amongst a growing list of high profile figures, endorsing the campaign. In an interview with CNN explaining the petition organizer John Graham-Cumming said he grew “mad” at the country’s memory of a man he says should be considered one of its national heroes. "I'm looking for an apology from the British government because that's where I think the wrong was done. But Turing is clearly someone of international stature," Graham-Cumming said. Turin’s achievements include development of the Turin machine, a concept on which all modern computers are based. In a statement, gay rights activist Peter Tatchell said "Not only should the government issue an official apology over the homophobic persecution of maths genius and war-time hero Alan Turing, it should give him a posthumous pardon." For weekly gay news, chat and soundbites visit www.maleforce.com
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