this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2026
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Context: During WW2 Alan Turing was essential to the efforts to break the Nazi Enigma code. In 1952 the British government chemically castrated him for being gay, in 1954 he took his life.

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[–] OddMinus1@sh.itjust.works 4 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

I don't know if Veritasium is a reliable source, but the recent video on Alan Turing made it seem like Alan had a good job and happy life for several years after WW2. Not defending that the UK government were pieces of shit, but I don't think it's accurate to say they turned on him "the second WW2 was over".

Edit: I checked another source. It was early 1952 that he was caught by the police in a homosexual relationship. So I guess he had around 6 happy years after the war.

[–] atopi@piefed.blahaj.zone 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The UK government forced the widely regarded father of theoretical computer science to take estrogen

[–] thethunderwolf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 day ago

his soul haunts the entire field of computer science, which is why compsci people are the way they are

[–] thethunderwolf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 day ago

britain for no good reason: lethally forcefems their lead computer scientist

[–] Hegar@fedia.io 14 points 1 day ago

Isn't the "took his life" thing disputed?

I heard there's some evidence that the cyanide was part of a natural process that he couldn't have known about and several of his close friends don't think it was suicide.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 12 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Turing didnt code anything until 1954 when he wrote a program so buggy someone else had to entirely re-write it. He didn’t write anither program. His work focused on theoretical computing.

[–] neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago

So, like most researchers then?

[–] QuinnyCoded@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago

my first idea for a username was QueerQuinn, so reading QueerCoded is kinda weird to me lol

[–] cooltrainer_frank@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

That title chefs kiss

[–] alapakala@quokk.au 7 points 1 day ago

stoneobelisk showing they are an ally, by not using the appropriate historical slur they used to sentence Alan😭 with.