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From: rrizzo@bbncca.ARPA (Ron Rizzo)
Newsgroups: net.singles,net.motss
Subject: Re: responsibility, sensitivity, (actually "Depression")
Message-ID: <1666@bbncca.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 10-Jan-86 09:55:07 EST
Article-I.D.: bbncca.1666
Posted: Fri Jan 10 09:55:07 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 13-Jan-86 04:54:14 EST
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Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma.
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Xref: watmath net.singles:9963 net.motss:2434

Turing killed himself as a result of depression after being given the "3rd
degree" (criminal conviction and hormone treatments) for being openly gay.  
His downfall came not from any self-hatred or lack of awareness about his 
sexuality (on the contrary, he seems remarkably free of these for his time; 
see Andrew Hodges' excellent biography, ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA), but from
naivete about British homophobia.  A friend of one of Turing's pickups
broke in and robbed his apartment.  Turing immediately reported the
crime to the police, answered all their questions with candor, and
bluntly stated (apparently expecting the cops would appreciate his
forthrightness) that of course he way gay.  Hearing that, the police
arrested HIM, brought him to trial on some antisex law, convicted him,
sentenced him to prison, but lifted incarceration if he would submit
to injections of hormones.  This medieval episode took place as recently
as the early 1950s, a mere decade or so before the Wolfenden Report.

You probably weren't aware of the details, but to say Turing killed
himself because he couldn't deal with his homosexuality not only lets
the culprits (the British authorities) off the hook, but lets them have
the last word via a very ironic slander.

Despite popular images of the English as epicene and historically
addicted to homosexuality, the UK has been perhaps the most homophobic
nation in Europe for many centuries.  Louis Crompton's BYRON AND GREEK
LOVE, a study of homophobia in early 19th century England, graphically
describes just how harsh and paranoid the English were on the issue 
even amidst a period of political reforms and decrminalization on the
continent.

						Cheers,
						Ron Rizzo