Alan Turing, a British code breaker during WWII, is the subject of the play and movie, "The Imitation Game". Turing is also credited with laying the foundations for computer technology and artificial intelligence. Winston Churchill, said that Turing made the SINGLE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTION of anyone to the Allied victory. Yet Turing, a gay man, died in disgrace one year after he was convicted of indecency for his sexual orientation. Think about that. Though credited with shortening WWII and saving an estimated 14 million lives, and having invented the technology we all rely on for so much, he was subjected to inhumane chemical therapy and public humiliation, ultimately driving him to suicide.
The movie Imitation Game is powerful and haunting… a story that should be widely known and it is not. Today, my thoughts turn to my sister and sister-in-law, and my LGBTQ friends, grateful that we are making progress toward the quality and safety we all deserve in our lives.
Rebecca
Rebecca Kantor, Professor and Dean
School of Education and Human Development
University of Colorado Denver