Benedict Cumberbatch
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch poses as he arrives for the European premiere of the film "The Imitation Game" at the BFI opening night gala at Leicester Square in London October 8, 2014. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett

Benedict Cumberbatch is pushing for the pardon of gay men prosecuted back in the 1950s. His call followed that of “The Advocate’s” Matthew Breen’s petition at Change.org calling for the royal pardon of 49,000 gay men put into jail in the 1950s under Biritish law.

Page Six reports that “Imitation Game” star Benedict Cumberbatch wants Queen Elizabeth II to extend the same pardon she gave Alan Turing to other gay men of the same situation. Alan Turing is a gay mathematician who uncovered the Nazi Engima code in WWII and was prosecuted for homosexual acts in 1952. Turing suffered from chemical castration. The Queen pardoned him last year. The "Imitation Game” is in fact a 2014 historical thriller film on Alan Turing’s life.

Editor-in-Chief of “The Advocate,” Matthew Breen, already filed a petition through Change.org, asking for the pardon of all the 49,000 men, who, like Alan Turing, also had to suffer prosecution under British law back in the 1950s.

Turing was pardoned almost 60 years after his death. He died in June 1954, reportedly of suicide through poisoning. Many still disputes the cause of his death up to now. Many people also campaigned for years for his pardon, which the Queen finally did last year after a request by Justice Minister Chris Grayling. The pardon went into effect on Dec. 24 last year.

According to Grayling, Turing was a man of exceptional capabilities and brilliant mind deserving of a pardon from the Queen. Grayling called the pardon a “fitting tribute” to Turing, especially in light of his efforts during the war era. "His later life was overshadowed by his conviction for homosexual activity, a sentence we would now consider unjust and discriminatory and which has now been repealed," said Mr Grayling. "Turing deserves to be remembered and recognised for his fantastic contribution to the war effort and his legacy to science,” he added.

Many lauded the decision, saying it righted a long-standing wrong. Many also said it provided the proper and just honor for a man, whose imagination and intellect made him quite the legend in the field of Technology. Many were simply happy that Britain showed wisdom and compassion.

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