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    Bill W
  • Bill W
  • Author
  • 12/10/2014
  • 770 Words
  • 2,359 Views
  • 16 Comments
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
2014 - Winter - Chain Reaction Entry

Fall From Grace - 1. Fall From Grace

How did it happen? How did he go from being one of the most celebrated people in the kingdom to suffering the humiliation of an arrest, trial and conviction for just being who he was? Was it right? Was it fair? He'd been hailed as having made the most important individual contribution that helped his kingdom win the war, but now he was scorned and ridiculed for responding to an inborn, primal urge. Was this the way the kingdom repaid a hero?

It had been a long and bloody war, one that the kingdom and its allies were on the verge of losing. The other side was more powerful and had better weapons, so the kingdom and those aligned with them needed an edge. In his determined and quiet manner, this man stepped forward and helped to come up with a way to decypher the intricately coded messages the other side was sending to communicate with each other. This singular accomplishment eventually helped to end the bloodshed and bring the war to a conclusion. His accomplishments were not only lauded, but he was also bestowed with many honors.

Then, in the blink of an eye, all of that changed. When word got out about what this man had been accused of doing, suddenly those that once hailed his achievements now turned their back on him. Faster than the spread of a wildfire or an atomic chain reaction, this individual moved from being one of the most admired to one who was detested. Those who had once counted him among their friends, now turned their backs on him and whispered to others about what he had done. How could someone with such a great mind and had done so much for those in the kingdom suddenly be treated like a pariah?

If you haven't already figured it out, I am referring to the life of Alan Turing, a British citizen, mathematician and cryptanalyst who came up with a way to crack the process the German Enigma code machine utilized. After the war ended, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill proclaimed that Turing had made the single biggest contribution in winning the war over Germany. He is also widely acknowledged as the 'Father of' theoretical computer science and Artificial Intelligence', so what did he do so wrong that caused the majority of people to change their minds about him?

It all happened after it was discovered that Turing was a homosexual and had participated in a consensual homosexual relationship. He was charged, tried and convicted of gross indecency, since homosexuality was against the law at the time. Rather than risk going to prison, Turing agreed to undergo chemical castration instead. The conviction also stripped him of his security clearance, which meant he could no longer continue his work for the government.

Approximately two and a half years after his conviction and just 16 days before his 42nd birthday, Turing was found dead. His death was ruled a suicide due to cyanide poisoning. Did this mean Turing chose to kill himself? Did he do this because he'd suffered humiliation and ridicule from having the reports of his love life scandalously presented to the public as his case was dragged through the court process? Was the thought that he could no longer fulfill his sexual desires and wouldn't be allowed to love the person he chose just too much for him to bear? Or was he murdered by others solely because they disagreed with his sexual orientation? Although the official manner of death was ruled a suicide, we will probably never know for certain what actually precipitated his death.

It eventually took an internet chain reaction of sorts to bring about the process of correcting this injustice. In August 2009, a petition was started online that called for the British government to formally apologize for prosecuting Turing as a homosexual. In September 2009, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued a public apology for the 'appalling way he (Turing) was treated'. Turing was posthumously pardoned by Queen Elizabeth II in December 2013, but it was far too late for Turing.

Although the situation has improved for many homosexuals throughout the world, there are still places where a homosexual can be imprisoned or even executed simply because of his sexual orientation. This means mankind, in general, still has a long way to go before this situation is corrected. Let's hope that nothing like this ever happens again and all of mankind will eventually come to accept that no one should be vilified or punished simply because of whom they love.

 

The End.

I'd like to add a special than you to Emoe57, Louis and Comicfan for their valuable Contributions to this story.
I'd also love to hear from you and get your reactions to this, so please leave a comment. Thank you for reading my story.
Copyright © 2014 Bill W; All Rights Reserved.
  • Like 17
  • Sad 1
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
2014 - Winter - Chain Reaction Entry
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Bill W
On 12/11/2014 05:07 AM, Carlos Hazday said:
Fantastic double use of the chain reaction theme. Such a sad and tragic story which I've always thought is just one that gathered attention because of who he was. Imagine the thousands of every-day Joes who've suffered just as much for who they were but no one has ever heard about. Thanks fro writing this, Bill.
Thanks, Carlos. I'm glad you enjoyed this little story. Turing was a great man, but the honors he earned were stolen away from him. I'm sure others have been treated just as poorly, but this injustice stood out from the rest.
  • Like 3
Bill W
On 12/11/2014 06:47 PM, sacredlove said:
It was sad...very sad what happened with Alan Turing. But even after that in may countries across the world situation is no better. I hope things would be better in coming future...well, we could just hope. I really appreciate your efforts to write these meaningful words. Thanks for writing this and sharing with us.
Thank you for the feedback, sacred. Yes, I think we all agree that we hope the future will get better for gay all over the globe.
  • Like 3
Bill W
On 12/12/2014 02:15 PM, jamessavik said:
I too guessed who it was. I'm familiar with the story. It was idiotic in the extreme to waste this mind. He was brilliant and there's no telling what he would have accomplished had he been able to continue working.
Thanks for the feedback, James. I'm sure he's not the only gay whose contributions were negated or bypassed due to homophobia. It's a shame.
  • Like 3
Bill W
On 12/12/2014 05:01 PM, comicfan said:
I loved this from the original to the this. Powerful message and carefully delivered. I always enjoy the craft you use when you create your stories. The sins of the past have robbed the present of untold benefits. Hopefully someday this will be just a terrible reminder of the past and not just another brick in a wall of mistakes against us.
Thanks for reading and commenting. If only we truly learned from the past and didn't repeat the mistakes made by others. Unfortunately, that isn't always the case.
  • Like 3
Bill W
On 12/24/2014 03:57 AM, DynoReads said:
Short but powerful essay on the intolerance of difference. Very reminiscent of "The Rest of the Story." Despite a degree in computers I was only vaguely aware of Turing, from high school world history, but not his contribution to computets or that he was gay.

 

Thank you.

Thanks for the feedback, Dyno. Yes, there is a lot that is missing from history lessons, especially the contributions gays have made. Let's hope that will someday be corrected.
  • Like 3
Mancunian

I've just come across this, it's a brilliant piece of work that speaks up for a great man. I guessed early on that it was about Alan Turing, there is no question about his huge and very important contribution to the war effort. But let us also remember the contribution to the war effort made by many other gay men, many fought on the frontline, others gave support in the jobs they did to support our fighting men. If they had not done what they did, many of them lost their lives, then it is a real possibility that we would not be living the free lives that we do, it is a very real possibility that we would be living in an oppressed society today. There were many gay men and women from The UK and our Allies that contributed to the war effort, we owe them all a great debt. 

  • Love 1
Bill W
28 minutes ago, Mancunian said:

I've just come across this, it's a brilliant piece of work that speaks up for a great man. I guessed early on that it was about Alan Turing, there is no question about his huge and very important contribution to the war effort. But let us also remember the contribution to the war effort made by many other gay men, many fought on the frontline, others gave support in the jobs they did to support our fighting men. If they had not done what they did, many of them lost their lives, then it is a real possibility that we would not be living the free lives that we do, it is a very real possibility that we would be living in an oppressed society today. There were many gay men and women from The UK and our Allies that contributed to the war effort, we owe them all a great debt. 

I definitely agree with you.  There were many other LGBTQ members that contributed in winning WW II for the allies, it's just that what Turing did was overshadowed by the fact that he was gay.  Even though the British government apologized and pardoned Turing in 2009, it came 55 years after his death.   Thank you for your feedback. 

  • Love 1
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