Alan Turing , known as the father of computer science or just the father of computers, was also gay and an atheist. When I posted a "meme" stating that anyone who uses a computer should thank this man, the comments revealed confusion as to how his beliefs or sexual orientation were related to his accomplishments.
In reality, his accomplishments were in spite of the ridicule, discrimination, and character assassination he endured through his life because of those traits. One article here. Among his accomplishments: He was responsible for breaking the Nazi Enigma code during World War II, giving the Allies the edge they needed to win the war in Europe, and lead to the creation of the computer. He also dabbled in quantum mechanics, biology, chemistry and neurology after the war. Much of this work was related to creating machines that could learn and “think”. He developed a test for artificial intelligence in 1950, which is still used today. Turing's work in 1952 on morphogenesis became a completely new field of mathematical biology (a mathematical explanation of how things grow). And let's don't forget what we now call The Turing Test (A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.).
His English teacher wrote: "... I cannot forgive the stupidity of his attitude towards sane discussion on the New Testament.”. After being convicted of "indecency" in 1952 he refused to let a punishment of chemical castration stop him from working; but it later cost Turing his security clearance so he could do no more "secret" research; then he was restricted from leaving the country anymore. Turing committed suicide in 1954, two years after being outed as gay.
Imagine how much more he could have accomplished if he had just been allowed to live his life his way. He was only 41.
How many people today are thwarted in their dreams and potential because of the pressure or discrimination they face, simply for being "different"? I ask today: why are you zeroing in on his personal traits when if Turing were described as a straight religious christian married, possibly father, who claimed he owed it all to "god", you wouldn't bat an eye?
Sixty years later, Queen Elizabeth II officially pardoned Turing.
