Part 2: The Roman Empire Starts to Turn Against Homosexuality

The second part of the series A Queer History that looks back to Early Greece and forward to the way we live now. The Roman Empire turns against homosexuality.

“From 323 BCE, the Roman empire absorbed Greece, but it did so selectively. Although homosexuality was acknowledged, it had no place within the social structure, as it had in Greece.”

The Sentencing of Madonna.

It seems these days that everybody hates Madonna, writes Little Bastard. But do the critics reveal more about their assumptions and prejudices than they do about her?

“It’s an artist’s raison d’être to challenge the political landscape and this has always been a part of Madonna’s work. As her platform gets bigger and the world slowly gets closer to hell in its hand basket, Madonna’s shows have become more intensely political.”

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Walk A Mile/2012 Hours Against Hate, July 24, 2012

2012 Hours Against Hate and the Walk A Mile initiative, headed by Hilary Clinton, launched on July 24 at The Hospital Club in London.

“Music has always been a unparalleled way of uniting people and, despite the twitter feed from those watching the live stream who announced that the audience at the Hospital Club looked bored, there was a wonderful atmosphere in the venue.”

Get Ready for iLL Manors.

Polari’s music reviewer Little Bastard takes a look at the career of Ben Drew, and argues that he is the poet for a generation.

“A punch-in-the-face social drama with a pop video aesthetic, iLL Manors sweats “debut film” from every pore – and whilst it is a flawed film, creativity and brutal style ooze out of every frame, and it left me feeling thoroughly violated for several hours afterwards.”

How Turing’s Ideas Were Borne From Death.

The love of Alan Turing for Christopher Morcom shaped his career. Morcom’s death changed how Turing thought about the possibilities of mathematics and the place of the spirit in it.

“After the loss for Morcom, Turing started to puzzle out the nature of mind and spirit, and its relationship with the physical machine, the body. It was this creative leap that drove his career.”

Suicide, Accident or Murder?

When Alan Turing died in June 1954, the coroner ruled that it was suicide, and no further investigation was undertaken. That conclusion, nevertheless, does not square with the facts.

“There was no cover up because no one was asking questions. The significance of Turing’s work, and his position on the political chessboard, was hidden under a veil of secrecy.”

Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2DD • June 21, 2012 – July 31, 2013

The Science Museum’s contribution to the Turing centenary, the exhibition Codebreaker – Alan Turing’s Life and Legacy, is a first rate insight into his work.

“Codebreaker is an astutely thought-out tribute to mark the centenary of Alan Turing’s birth on June 23.”

The Story of the Turing Pardon, Part Two.

A look at the petition to pardon Turing for ‘gross indecency’, as well as the social and historical significance of the pardon.

“This is the official Turing Centenary and so it is the ideal time to take a stand against obsolete ideas about homosexuality, and to honour one of the most important and pivotal figures in British history..”

The Story of the Turing Pardon, Part One.

A look at how Alan Turing’s secret work was finally acknowledged in the 1980s and the British government’s 2009 public apology for Turing’s treatment.

“Alan Turing’s work on cracking Enigma, and building a computer designed to play a part in the development of a British atomic bomb, was not part of the record. He was branded a “security risk” and duly sacrificed.”

A Genius Martyred.

A look at the circumstances that led to Turing’s criminal conviction for homosexual conduct in 1952, and his death in 1954

“Alan Turing’s work on cracking Enigma, and building a computer designed to play a part in the development of a British atomic bomb, was not part of the record. He was branded a “security risk” and duly sacrificed.”