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Treatment of Alan Turing was "appalling" - Gordon Brown, PM

radx (http://gay.videosift.com/member/radx) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:56:49 -0700

(12 comments - 368 views)
The campaign to get a government apology for the prosecution of Alan Turing for homosexuality in 1952 was successful.

The Prime Minister has released a statement on the Second World War code-breaker, Alan Turing, recognising the “appalling” way he was treated for being gay.

Alan Turing, a mathematician most famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes, was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ in 1952 and sentenced to chemical castration.

Gordon Brown’s statement came in response to a petition posted on the Number 10 website which has received thousands of signatures in recent months.

Statement:

2009 has been a year of deep reflection - a chance for Britain, as a nation, to commemorate the profound debts we owe to those who came before. A unique combination of anniversaries and events have stirred in us that sense of pride and gratitude which characterise the British experience. Earlier this year I stood with Presidents Sarkozy and Obama to honour the service and the sacrifice of the heroes who stormed the beaches of Normandy 65 years ago. And just last week, we marked the 70 years which have passed since the British government declared its willingness to take up arms against Fascism and declared the outbreak of World War Two. So I am both pleased and proud that, thanks to a coalition of computer scientists, historians and LGBT activists, we have this year a chance to mark and celebrate another contribution to Britain’s fight against the darkness of dictatorship; that of code-breaker Alan Turing.

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 World War Two could well 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.

Thousands of people have come together to demand justice for Alan Turing and recognition of the appalling way he was treated. While Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can’t put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him. Alan and the many thousands of other gay men who were convicted as he was convicted under homophobic laws were treated terribly. Over the years millions more lived in fear of conviction.

I am proud that those days are gone and that in the last 12 years this government has done so much to make life fairer and more equal for our LGBT community. This recognition of Alan’s status as one of Britain’s most famous victims of homophobia is another step towards equality and long overdue.

But even more than that, Alan deserves recognition for his contribution to humankind. For those of us born after 1945, into a Europe which is united, democratic and at peace, it is hard to imagine that our continent was once the theatre of mankind’s darkest hour. It is difficult to believe that in living memory, people could become so consumed by hate - by anti-Semitism, by homophobia, by xenophobia and other murderous prejudices - that the gas chambers and crematoria became a piece of the European landscape as surely as the galleries and universities and concert halls which had marked out the European civilisation for hundreds of years. It is thanks to men and women who were totally committed to fighting fascism, people like Alan Turing, that the horrors of the Holocaust and of total war are part of Europe’s history and not Europe’s present.

So on behalf of the British government, and all those who live freely thanks to Alan’s work I am very proud to say: we’re sorry, you deserved so much better.

Source: Number 10 web site

- radx

WaPo Links to the Sift

dag (http://dag.videosift.com) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:44:37 -0700

(3 comments - 421 views)
... with a very well written essay by Hank Stuever on how the gay community reacts to Bruno. (which I haven't seen yet - so no spoilers please)

- dag

Best Yahoo Questions Ever

rottenseed (http://douchebag.videosift.com) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:57:13 -0700

(14 comments - 955 views)
straight from here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081226174833AA5LmiA

I'm concerned that my son has a secret girlfriend?
My 17 year old son has been very secretive with me lately, recently he has started to refuse to go to church with the family and tonight when I was going through his room I found a magazine with naked men in it. He obviously has a girlfriend that he is hiding from me that brought that magazine into my home and I am afraid they are having intercourse and I am greatly concerned that he is going to get her pregnant.

What should I do about this?

* 5 months ago

Additional Details
He is not a homosexual, we have taught him from the bible and he has learned though our church that this is not in God's plan. I will not teach him about condoms, that is unacceptable, we have always taught him about abstinence and that is what God and his future wife expects from him.

I want to speak to our pastor about this but I am very afraid of what he would think we are teaching our son if he things we are allowing him to sneak a girl into his bedroom. That is clearly inappropriate and we are good parents, I am very afraid what he will think of us.

I feel really bad for what this young man is going through

- rottenseed

California high court upholds same-sex marriage ban

blankfist (http://blankfist.videosift.com) — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:55:48 -0700

(14 comments - 477 views)
"The California Supreme Court upheld Tuesday a ban on same-sex marriages that state voters passed in November, but it allowed about 18,000 same-sex marriages performed before the ban to remain valid."

Full story: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/26/california.same.sex.marriage/index.html

- blankfist

Homosexuality and religion summed up

rasch187 (http://rasch187.videosift.com) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:53:47 -0700

(6 comments - 666 views)

The crappy comic sans typography is my work. Made by this guy.

- rasch187

SiftAction on youtube gay haters NOM.

dystopianfuturetoday (http://gay.videosift.com/member/dystopianfuturetoday) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:09:17 -0700

(51 comments - 1904 views)
Indulge me on an experiment if you will. I'm curious to see if multiple flaggings of a genuinely hateful video on youtube has any effect, or if Mormon hatred gets preferential treatment.

There is an extremely ignorant and bigoted video on youtube that needs to be flagged:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp76ly2_NoI&feature=related

Leave a comment below after you've flagged the video so we can get a tally.

- dystopianfuturetoday

11 Most Unintentionally Gay Rap Lyrics Ever

EDD (http://gay.videosift.com/member/EDD) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:18:06 -0700

(1 comment - 847 views)
I'll let the article do the talking, because frankly, I'm still busy wiping tears of laughter from my eyes.

http://www.cracked.com/article_16158_11-most-unintentionally-gay-rap-lyrics-ever.html

Sample:
Eminem: "Don't Push Me"

The Lyric:
"Man I'm done saying that I'm done playing, I'ma start laying any of these motherfucking cocksuckers."

What He's Probably Saying:
"No joke, my patience is exhausted and now I'm gonna start shooting people."

What We Like To Think He's Saying:
"Seriously, I'm gonna start having sex with dudes."

- EDD

All hail King Blankfist....WTF?!

rasch187 (http://rasch187.videosift.com) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:43:56 -0800

(67 comments - 1160 views)
The 6th King and 2nd Queen of the Sift is...Blankfist. I'll just say that again: blankfist. That's right, the guy who posts nothing but videos of farting cats and threatens to rape every male sifter. What's the world coming to?

"And while the King was looking down,
the Jester stole his thorny crown."

Major congrats though, Blanky. Keep on being repulsive! And as his loyal subjects, we should all upvote his queue and PQUEUE.

By the great kronosposeidon:

- rasch187

Videosift deathpool variation (take 2)

xxovercastxx (http://gay.videosift.com/member/xxovercastxx) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:07:03 -0800

(10 comments - 706 views)
(Reposted after an unintentional discard by Rasch)

Early this morning, when my thinking is at its most erratic, I found the idea of deathpools wandering around my head. If you don't know, a deathpool is where people place bets on when someone will die; usually celebrities.

A little brain wandering found me combining videosift and deathpools into the concept of a banpool; voting on when members will be banned or suspended and rewarded with power points.

What could make CP420's inevitable banishment better than handing out rewards too?

- xxovercastxx

Day to 'call in gay' finds few willing to strike

CaptainPlanet420 (http://gay.videosift.com/member/CaptainPlanet420) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:52:15 -0800

(26 comments - 722 views)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-12-11-callingingay-review_N.htm?csp=34

From the article -
"A day-long work stoppage during which employees were encouraged to "call in gay" to express support for same-sex marriage drew spotty participation nationwide Wednesday, with some gay rights activists praising the concept but questioning its effect.

In San Francisco's gay Castro district, residents and merchants said they endorsed the message behind "Day Without a Gay" but didn't think a work stoppage was practical given the poor economy and the strike's organization.

"If we are going to make a huge impact and not be laughed at, then we have to take the time and make the time to communicate with all the parties. We could have shut down a lot of the hotels," said David Lang, a gymnastics coach. "In theory it's a great idea, but it's being done wrong and now that it's been done wrong, I don't think it will be done again."

The protest, which a gay couple from West Hollywood organized through the Internet, was designed to demonstrate the economic clout of same-sex marriage supporters following the passage of voter-approved gay marriage bans in California, Arizona and Florida last month."

...so to those of you who label me homophobic...well homosexuals aren't even willing to stand up for their supposed "rights" so it's not possible to fear them. It was a terrible idea to begin with because if there were enough of them (which there aren't) then they would have been striking in important public positions which is illegal.

I just dislike the idea, not the people themselves. You guys curse and swear against great leaders like Bush and you hate his ideas. Much more hatred in ya'll liberals. Anyway, the gay movement has a long way to go to have any legitimacy when they don't have numbers and can't effectively organize.

In closing, you may want to rethink labeling someone a homophobic when you don't understand the definition.

- CaptainPlanet420