Donate now

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter


Email
Subscribe

Songs to Save a life - music in aid of Samaritans

Print page

Prime Minister apologises to UK hero 'driven to suicide' over sexuality

Thoughtful Talk confidentially to Samaritans any time of the day or night.

Whatever you're going through, whether it's big or small, don't bottle it up. We are here for you if you're worried about something, feel upset or confused, or just want to talk to someone.

Enigma inventor receives public apology

PM apologises to UK hero The UK Prime Minister has issued a posthumous apology to the inventor of the Enigma machine that many claim won World War II for Britain and its allies.

Mathematician Alan Turing was perhaps an unlikely hero, with trousers held up with string and halting speech, according to the Daily Mail, but he was undeniably a genius, creating the 'bombe' machine that helped decode German naval codes during WWII.

However, despite his invaluable contribution to the war effort, laying the foundations for modern computer technology and being named among Time magazine's 100 most important people of the 20th century, Turing's life ended in tragedy when he committed suicide after being convicted of homosexuality.

Following a campaign, 55 years after Alan Turing's death Gordon Brown said: "On behalf of the British Government and all those who live freely thanks to Alan's work, I am very proud to say: we're sorry - you deserved so much better.

"Alan and the many thousands of other gay men who were convicted, as he was, under homophobic laws were treated terribly."

In 1952, Turing was sentenced to either one year in prison or chemical castration after freely confessing to having had a relationship with another man. He chose the latter and was given a series of injections of the female hormone oestrogen, which destroyed his previously athletic frame and, according to one biographer, sparked his descent into madness and eventual suicide.

Lead campaigner for the Turing apology, computer scientist John Graham-Cumming, agrees with this view. He tells the Daily Mail: "He was a national treasure and we hounded him to his death."

A contemporary tale?

While the days are gone when the UK criminalised homosexuality, Turing's story still carries resonance in modern times. A recent study by the Department of Mental Health Sciences at University College London concluded that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people are at a higher risk of death by suicide than heterosexual people.

Upon analysis of data concerning 214,344 heterosexual people and 11,971 non-heterosexual people, researchers found a two-fold excess in suicide attempts among LGB people and a further increased risk of depression and anxiety-related disorders.

The research team also concluded that the lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts was highest among gay and bisexual men.

The Edinburgh-based LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Centre for Health and Wellbeing cites the prejudice and discrimination still experienced by non-heterosexual and transgender people as two primary factors influencing this higher suicide rate, the Scotsman reports.

It adds that such prejudices also contribute to an increased rate of mental ill-health among the LGBT community, which it claims to be three or four times that of the heterosexual population.

The link between the problems experienced in modern society by those of alternative sexualities is also acknowledged by the World Health Organization, which states that suicide is more likely to occur during a period of individual crisis, with one cited example being sexual orientation.

A modern-day Turing?

The argument could perhaps be made that a case such as Turing's could not happen in modern times. However, just ten years ago the UK was shocked by the suicide of a rising football star whose story bears similarities with Turing's own.

Justin Fashanu was a talented young sportsman with the world – quite literally – at his feet, having played for Norwich City, Nottingham Forest and the England under-21 team. Then, in early May 1998, he took his own life.

An inquest into Fashanu's death revealed that he was facing a court charge in America over an incident regarding intimate relations he was alleged to have had with another man.

Recording a verdict of suicide, the BBC reported the coroner as saying that while Fashanu broke many racial and sexual barriers in the sporting world as an openly gay black footballer, he had apparently been overwhelmed by the possible implications of the forthcoming trial.

The coroner stated: "Clearly he did not wish to cause more pain or more distress to his family or loved ones […] sadly he decided that death was the only way out for him."

A note left by Fashanu before his death supports this perspective of events. It is quoted by the BBC as saying: "Being gay and a personality is so hard.

"Justice isn't always fair. I felt I wouldn't get a fair trial because of my homosexuality."

Poll reveals religion division?

Attitudes to homosexuality may widely be believed to have changed since Turing's time. However, it appears that, in some factions of the UK at least, alternative sexualities are still considered morally unacceptable by large proportions of specific communities.

One recent poll identified an apparent zero-tolerance attitude toward homosexuality among UK Muslims, according to the Guardian.

The Coexist Index 2009, conducted by Gallup and consisting of telephone and face-to-face interviews with Muslim and non-Muslim people, revealed a more conservative opinion of alternative sexuality than researchers observed among Muslims in any other country.

Researchers found none of the 500 British Muslims interviewed agreed that homosexuality was an acceptable practice, compared to 35 percent of French Muslims.

The study concluded: "Some researchers point out that the greatest differences between Muslims and westerners lie more in eros than demos. In other words, the Muslim-west gap rests on differences in attitudes toward sexual liberalisation and gender issues rather than democracy and governance.

"[However], this theory implies that the west speaks with one voice on issues of morals, tolerance, and sexual freedom."

Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts or concerned about a friend can call Samaritans 24 hours a day for emotional support on 08457 90 90 90 (UK) and 1850 60 90 90 (ROI). Alternatively, you can email at jo@samaritans.org, or drop in to a Samaritans branch for face to face support, visit http://www.samaritans.org/ to find your nearest branch.