Alan Turing Could Be on the New £50 Note

Last Friday the Bank of England Governor Mark Carneyannounced a public contest to find the new face of the £50 note, since then there has been a lot of support drummed up for Alan Turning, reports the Guardian.

Alan Turing is famously credited for helping end WWII with his codebreaking skills and ushering in the modern age of computing – he was then chemically castrated in 1952 for being gay. He committed suicide shortly after.

He was granted a posthumous royal pardon by the Queen in 2013 and is considered by many as a gay hero.

“We’d be very happy to see Alan Turing placed on the £50 note,” said Richy Thompson, Director of Public Affairs and Policy at Humanists UK.

“Turing was a humanist who helped save the UK during World War II and invented modern computer technology as we know it, but the UK still subjected him to harsh, homophobic treatment and attempted to ‘cure’ him of his sexuality through chemical castration.

“That terrible treatment can never be undone, but the new £50 note presents an opportunity for the UK to honour one of its greatest heroes.”

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