Pardon for Alan Turing

[Old Greg]

Turing was persecuted by the state for what he was - a gay man - and the legal niceties that his crime was homosexual sex as opposed to homosexuality per se should not detract from this. This persecution goes beyond prosecuting against a law that may be deemed unjust such as cannabis possession. All in this legal position should have their convictions quashed.

[AtW]

All in this legal position should have their convictions quashed.

WHS

And people who brought those charges should also be "sterilised"...

[Old Greg]

WHS

And people who brought those charges should also be "sterilised"...

Or they could a five stretch in MF's cellar.

[Zippy]

This is good news.

A pardon is the best that could be done, as he was homosexual and it was illegal at the time.

[xoggoth]

Agree with zippy. Rather impractical to keep looking up details of old cases and pardoning everyone affected whenever a crime ceases to be a crime. Pardoning this one man does what is important, make a statement about our current attitudes.

[Old Greg]

This is good news.

A pardon is the best that could be done, as he was homosexual and it was illegal at the time.

An Act of Parliament could overturn all convictions under the old Act.

The pardon is obviously welcome nonetheless.

[SpontaneousOrder]

Define "wrong"? There's nothing wrong IMO with breaking the speed limit when it's safe to do so, or possessing cannabis, to pick two examples. But you could be prosecuted for both of those. If the motorway speed limit was ever raised to 80mph, does that mean anybody who was ever caught at 70-80 would get an apology and their conviction overturned?

There's no difference, except that it's easier to not speed or to not use cannabis (or anything else for that matter) than it is to not be who you are (and having sex with people you are attracted to is more core to your being, than your choice to smoke etc).

The apparent difference is just because people in general are enlightened enough to see the evil in trying to control people in some ways, but not enough to see it in the other ways yet. Before long prostitution will be legal, and then in turn everything else.

[ASB]

An Act of Parliament could overturn all convictions under the old Act.

The pardon is obviously welcome nonetheless.

Which is what happened with the armed forces act a few years ago. Pardoned those who had been executed for cowardice.

[ASB]

There's no difference, except that it's easier to not speed or to not use cannabis (or anything else for that matter) than it is to not be who you are (and having sex with people you are attracted to is more core to your being, than your choice to smoke etc).

The apparent difference is just because people in general are enlightened enough to see the evil in trying to control people in some ways, but not enough to see it in the other ways yet. Before long prostitution will be legal, and then in turn everything else.

Actually prostitution is legal.

Lots of surrounding activities are not. But that is a different thing.

[Old Greg]

Which is what happened with the armed forces act a few years ago. Pardoned those who had been executed for cowardice.

An Act of Parliament could overturn the convictions as opposed to just issue pardons.