New Sculpture of Alan Turing on Display: PHOTO

(wynn abbott - instagram)

A new sculpture of Alan Turing has been put on display in Paddington, London.

During World War II, Alan Turing, who is known as the father of modern computing, devised the Turing Bombe, a codebreaking device that was used to decipher the Nazi enigma codes, up to 3,000 messages per day. He was also gay, and two years after being convicted of "gross indecency" for being homosexual and sentenced to undergo hormone therapy, he killed himself with a cyanide-laced apple.

Activists and lawmakers are still working to get an official pardon for Turing's conviction from the British government.

Pink News reports:

The two-dimensional sculpture appeared near St Mary’s, Paddington, alongside sculptures of fellow local heroes, famous nurse Mary Seacole and Paddington Bear author Michael Bond.

The sculptures are part of the Portrait Bench series by Sustrans, transport charity, which installs the sculptures, as voted for by local residents. The sculptures are made from Corten steel, the same as the Angel of the North, and will eventually rust to give a more organic look.

London Marathon Runners Hold Moment of Silence for Boston Marathon Victims: VIDEO

(image via imgur)

Participants in the London Marathon today observed a moment of silence for the victims of the Boston marathon, and wore black ribbons in their honor.

CBS News:

Moments before the majority of runners set off on the grinding course, announcer Geoff Wightman used the loudspeakers to ask for silence. He described marathon running as a global sport that unites runners and supporters in every continent in a spirit of friendship.

"This week the world marathon family was shocked and saddened by the events at the Boston Marathon," he said as he asked the people gathered to "remember our friends and colleagues for whom a day of joy turned into a day of sadness."

As those gathered responded to his call, the only noise that could be heard was the buzz of helicopters and the beeping of a truck.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

London Mayor Boris Johnson Wins Court Battle Over Barring Christian 'Ex-Gay' Group's Ads from Buses

A judge has ruled in favor of London Mayor Boris Johnson in a case brought by a Christian group challenging Johnson's decision to ban "gay cure" ads from city buses, the Guardian reports:

A judge found on Friday that Boris Johnson did not abuse his position as chairman of Transport for London (TfL) last April when he imposed the ban on the advert, which suggested that people could be cured of homosexuality.

The decision is a defeat for the Core Issues Trust, a Christian charity that funds "reparative therapy" for gay Christians, which it claims can "develop their heterosexual potential". They believe Johnson was "politically driven" when he intervened to block the ad.

The ad posters earmarked for the sides of the capital's buses read: "Not Gay! Ex-Gay, Post-Gay and Proud. Get over it!"

Johnson condemned the "gay cure" ad as "offensive to gays" and said it could lead to retaliation against the wider Christian community.

The judge agreed, though she said that Johnson's process "was procedurally unfair, in breach of its own procedures and demonstrated a failure to consider the relevant issues".

The judge also allowed an appeal, but said she thought it didn't have much of a chance.

Prince Harry, Given Number by Male London Socialite, Tells Him He'll Go Gay if He Changes His Mind About Women

The Brit tabloids got aflutter over the weekend after a London socialite named Vincenzo Ianniello approached Prince Harry while he was on a date and gave him his number.

The Prince reportedly acted like one, joking with the man that he'd call if he changes his mind about women.

'Muslim Patrol' Vigilantes Harass Gays in East London: VIDEO

London's LGBT community has expressed concern about a couple of incidents in which self-appointed "Muslim Patrols" have harassed gays in East London. Last week two men were arrested in connection with the incidents but a new video posted to YouTube is doing little to alleviate concerns, the BBC reports:

In the latest video, a man is approached in Whitechapel and asked: "Don't you know this is a Muslim area? What's wrong with your face? Why are you dressed like that for? You're walking through a Muslim area dressed like a fag, mate. You need to get out of here quicker. You're dirty mate. Look at your shoes. Get out of here you fag... Don't stay around here any more."

Stonewall said: "YouGov polling for Stonewall shows that every year one in eight lesbian and gay people are the victim of crimes or harassment simply because they are gay. We urge victims of all homophobic crimes and incidents to report them to the police and for the police to take action to protect gay people from these disturbing crimes."

Scotland Yard responded to the original footage posted saying: "We are aware of incidents over the weekend of 12/13 January where a small group of people had harassed members of the public, and of YouTube videos showing this. "In response to this incident officers on duty are being briefed as to what has occurred and what to be on the look out for."

Watch the clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

In 2011, arrests were made in East London over stickers declaring the area a "gay free zone" and warning that "Allah is severe in punishment".

Lady Gaga and Wikileaks' Julian Assange Have Dinner: PHOTO

Lady Gaga posted a photo last night of herself in a pointy witches hat with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

They had dinner at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, the Telegraph reports:

The WikiLeaks founder, who is wanted in Sweden over alleged sex attacks on two women, has been holed up there since June and has claimed asylum.

Lady Gaga is said to have spent five hours with him, emerging at midnight after the two had shared a meal.

Earlier, singer M.I.A. had tweeted a message to Lady Gaga saying: “If ur at harrods today, come visit Assange at the Ecuador embassy across the st. im there. Ill bring TEA and CAKE (sic).”