British gay rights advocate has a moving piece in The Telegraph that looks at the sad reality that homophobia is alive and well even 60 years after perhaps one of the greatest minds of the 20th century was driven to suicide (some question whether it was really a suicide) under the UK's heinous anti-gay laws of the time. What keeps such hate and bigotry. One word sums up the cause: religion. Religion, one of the most evil influences in the world today as demonstrated by ISIS' claimed beheading of another American. Of course, the poison of religion is amplified by politicians like Nikki Haley (see the previous post) and other political prostitutes only too happy to pander to those who embrace hate and ignorance. Here are some column highlights that focus on the ongoing harm:
Movies rarely make me cry, but I cried when I watched The Imitation Game. Released today, it stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightly, telling the heroic and tragic story of the British wartime code breaker, mathematical genius and computer pioneer, Alan Turing.
As well as decrypting Nazi military codes, shortening the war by two years and saving millions of lives, the entire modern digital age of computers, mobile phones, email, internet and space exploration is based on the principles he elaborated. Although Turing arguably possessed one of the greatest minds in history – on a par with Newton and Einstein – he was nevertheless prosecuted and hounded to his death in 1954 for being gay.
Upon conviction, Turing was given a stark choice: two years' jail, or chemical castration via a hormone therapy that was uncannily similar to the Nazi "cures" for homosexuality that were used on gay men in Buchenwald concentration camp.
Unable to cope with the ghastly side effects of castration treatment, he committed suicide at the age of 41 – depriving humanity of future knowledge and inventions he might have pioneered had he lived.
I wept not only for Turing’s terrible personal suffering, but also for the estimated 50,000-100,000 other gay and bisexual men who were convicted in Britain under the same or similar anti-gay laws. Unlike Turing, most of them were given no choice. They were jailed and often brutally abused on the inside.
Turing received a posthumous royal pardon in 2013. Unfairly, no such pardon has been extended to the tens of thousands of other gay victims – not even to other high-profile ones such as Lord Montague and Sir John Gielgud. Shockingly, the persecution of men for same-sex love continued for nearly half a century after Turing’s suicide.
The "gross indecency" law of 1885 – prohibiting any sexual contact between men – was used against Turing and before him against Oscar Wilde in 1895. It was repealed only in 2003. . . . . Since the Sexual Offences Act 2003, for the first time in over 500 years we have a criminal code that does not discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation.
Progress at last! But homophobia isn’t over yet. Only last year to create a data base of "serious sex offenders", the police turned up unannounced on people’s doorsteps to demand DNA samples from men who, like Turing, were convicted of consenting adult same-sex relationships decades ago. They were lumped together with rapists and paedophiles.
Some parents still kick their children out of home and onto the streets after discovering that they are gay or lesbian. It is one of the biggest causes of youth homelessness.
All Britain’s equality laws have exemptions for religious organisations, which permits faith-run service providers, such schools and hospitals, to discriminate in certain circumstances on the grounds of sexual orientation.
To combat anti-gay bullying and hate crimes, education against all prejudice – including racism and sexism, as well as homophobia and transphobia – should be a mandatory subject in every school. It ought to start from primary level onwards and continue throughout a pupil’s secondary years. The aim should be to encourage the understanding and acceptance of difference, which is vital for a happy, harmonious society. Is the Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, listening?
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