On this day, June 23, 1912, scientist
Alan Turing was born. Turing is known chiefly for his achievements in
code-breaking during the Second World War. Early on in the war, he engineered
improvements on a Polish machine known as “bombe," which enabled it to unravel
the ciphers generated by a German technology called “Enigma." Bombe cracked as
many as 84,000 codes a month. As German coding technology morphed, Turing kept
up and made a breakthrough in decoding German “Tunny” messages; this led to
the first systematic method of cracking them. This method, known as “Turingery,"
inspired code-deciphering algorithms run on the newly invented large computer
system known as Colossus.
Dr. Turing was personally responsible for
interpreting the Enigma codes sent to U-Boats. This allowed ships crossing the
Atlantic to stay out of torpedo range. Experts estimate that Dr. Alan Turing
and his team of code-breakers shortened the war in Europe by as many as
two to four years.
However, despite his incredible contribution to the Allied war
effort, in 1952, Dr. Turing was prosecuted for the crime of gross indecency for admitting to
having a sexual relationship with a man. In lieu of going to prison, Turing
accepted the punishment of experimental chemical castration. This meant he was
to be injected with female sex hormones to reduce sex drive.
This was not the only consequence of his conviction.
He was stripped of his government security clearance and was no longer allowed
to work for UK communications. He was denied entry to the United States due to
this conviction and was considered a security risk when traveling to other
European countries. On June 8, 1954, Alan Turing was found dead in his house.
His death, caused by cyanide poisoning, was ruled as suicide, but most now believe his
death was accidental.
In 2009, in response to a petition with over 30,000
signatures, the British Prime Minister publicly apologized for the mistreatment
of Turing. At last, more than 60 years after his conviction and after much controversy, an official pardon signed by Queen
Elizabeth II was announced in August of 2014.
As indicated by this short biography, homophobia ran deep in many places, and still does in many others. We should always remain thankful and not take our
liberties for granted, but let’s especially appreciate and celebrate how much
progress has been made for LGBTQQI folks this month. Happy Pride Month, y’all!
Here are the LGBTQQI non-fiction recommendations you
always knew (or never knew) you wanted. Enjoy.
*Note: All books listed are for adults unless otherwise indicated
HUMOR
Me Talk Pretty One Day David Sedaris |
NON FICTION
Butch Queens Up in Pumps:
Gender, Performance and Ballroom Culture in Detroit Marlon M. Bailey |
Persistence: All Ways
Butch and Femme Ivan E. Coyote |
It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living Dan Savage (Young Adult) |
THEORY/ACADEMIC
Dangerous Liaisons: Blacks, Gays, and the Struggle for Equality Eric Brandt |
Genders & Sexualities in Modern Thailand Peter A. Jackson |
Dual Attraction: Understanding Bisexuality Martin S. Weinberg |
Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity Julia Serano |
HISTORY
Gay Berlin: Birthplace of a Modern Identity Robert Beachy |
Surpassing the Love
of Men: Romantic Friendship and Love Between Women from the Renaissance to
the Present
Lillian Faderman |
Bisexuality in the Ancient World Eva Cantarella |
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
I Left It On the Mountain: A Memoir Kevin Sessums |
Rapture Practice: A True Story About Growing Up Gay in an Evangelical Family Aaron Hartzler (Young Adult) |
POETRY
Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman |
FINE ARTS
Body Alchemy: Transsexual Portraits Loren Cameron |
The Invisibles: Vintage Portraits of Love and Pride Sebastien Lifshitz |
For more information or additional recommendations, contact us.
References
Hodges, Andrew (1983). Alan Turing : the
enigma. London: Burnett Books.
Copeland, Jack (18 June 2012). "Alan Turing: The
codebreaker who saved 'millions of lives'". BBC News Technology.
Retrieved 22 June 2015.
Spencer, Clare (11 September 2009). "Profile: Alan
Turing". BBC News.
Update 13 February 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment