Marriage is not a magical panacea to life. It’s an ancient, symbolic ritual designed to cement ties, to ensconce power, and to legitimize offocialdom as the only true source of union and happiness for loving people. Instead, more often than not, marriage itself is not the unifier it purports to be. How many wonderful friendships and relationships have been destroyed by the simple fact of marriage? How many long and happy courtships have been sacrificed on the altar of expediency? I am blessed to have had an amazing 20-year relationship with a wonderful man – i love him very much – but neither one of us feels the need to discuss marriage.

In my opinion, folks should spend less time worrying about what they can do, and more time thinking about what they should do. People need to figure out what, in themselves, will help to make their relationships work, rather than trying to ‘lock them in’ with a certificate. 

I hope everyone attains happiness in their own way, but marriage just isn’t for me.

This is the third petition launched this year to honour Alan Turing to mark the centenary of his birth on 23 June, 1912.

The petition states:

“Alan
Turing is a national hero. His contribution to computer science, and
hence to the life of the nation and the world, is incalculable. The
ripple-effect of his theories on modern life continues to grow, and may
never stop.

The
current Bank of England £10 notes are Series E, but Series F notes are
already in circulation for some denominations. We therefore call upon
the Treasury to request the Bank of England to consider depicting Alan
Turing when Series F £10 banknotes are designed.”

Click here to sign the £10 note petition.

There is also a petition to erect a statue of Turing on the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square.

“We
ask HMG, through the GLA, to erect a statue to the London mathematician
Alan Turing, on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.

Through
his astonishing code breaking work at Bletchley Park, during the Second
World War, he contributed as much as any person who survived to the
defeat of Nazism and the shortening of the war. Alan Turing is
considered to be the father of computer science, the father of
artificial intelligence, and the father of mathematical biology, a
record second-to-none in importance today.

HMG,
and the GLA, should also consider including, or incorporating into this
statue, a tribute to “Tommy” Flowers – another great Londoner and the
engineer who designed and built, largely at his own expense, the
Colossus machine which finally cracked the Lorenz code.

Because
of the nature of the Official Secrets Act, neither man could be truly
recognized for their ground-breaking work in their life-time: a statue
in Trafalgar Square would help redress that balance.”

Click here to sign the Trafalgar Square plinth petition.

The
petition to pardon Turing for his conviction for “gross indecency”,
i.e. sex with another man, in 1952 is still in effect. Even though Lord
McNally dimissed the pardon in February, there are signs there will be a
turnabout, and so it is important to keep up the pressure on the
government. These petitions, and the support they garner, are an
important part of that support.

Click here to sign the petition to pardon Turing.
 

Your reporter
records that in a letter to the News Letter, rector Donard Collins, of
Killowen parish, Coleraine, said: “In every one of 64 responses (to
three separate questions) the replies were the same.”
That 64 people could return entirely identical responses to multiple questions on any questionnaire is truly remarkable.
As
someone who taught survey research methods at Queen’s University,
Belfast (2000-2011), I am only aware of unanimous results like this in
North Korea.
I too received the copy of the rector’s report of the
survey and read that the questions on the questionnaire were accompanied
by the following guide: “To help – please read three Bible passages
that provide direction regarding homosexuality.”
Details of selected
Bible passages were then inserted, including Romans 1:24-27. Not only is
it inappropriate to attach Bible passages to a questionnaire, as this
will bias the responses, but the interpretation of the selected passages
is itself a matter of debate.
Coincidentally, in the book I have
recently edited called “Moving Forward Together: Homosexuality and the
Church of Ireland”, there is a chapter called “So what about Romans 1?”
by Canon Charles Kenny.
An electronic copy of this book has been sent
to Mr Collins and perhaps he could circulate it among his 64
parishioners and invite them to think again about their responses to the
questions they were asked.
I would be surprised if his 64
parishioners would again return entirely identical responses, unless
Killowen parish really is twinned with Pyongyang.
Dr Richard O’Leary
Holywood
 

I
had to leave immediately after attempting to rebut his reactionary
ramblings, in fact I was bouncing up and down with impatience and anger
the longer he droned on.   Were there many other questions and speakers
from the floor, after Mr Bonehead and me?

I do
hope that we’ll soon be able to read a completer text of Dr Phelan’s
absolutely fascinating (and very timely) lecture.   A lot of what he
displayed was new material to me, but I hope to find time to check out a
good deal of it for myself.   We must insist more and more on restoring
the suppressed LGBT angle to Irish history.   I find that it actually
explains many things that anti-gay historians cannot explain.   I’m
quite certain that Casement’s a-typical sympathy for the underdog and
the excluded owes a lot to his belonging to an invisible minority.   I
even venture to wonder if his empathy and fellow-feeling for other races
was not one of the typical signs of the gay man.   Food for thought…

Anyway, thanks yet again for this speedy dispatch.   Keep up the good work!

Yours cordially,

P A