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Alan Turing

Manchester’s Gay Village has been a haven for many in the LGBTQ+ Community for decades and welcomes thousands of people from across Manchester and beyond to celebrate Pride every year. But before becoming Europe’s largest Gay Village, this area was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution in Manchester.

What connects a lab coat, a loom and the ancestor of modern computers to sci-fi classic, The Matrix? We dive down the rabbit hole to highlight the world-changing collections at the Science and Industry Museum that were part of the creative inspiration for our new neighbour Factory International’s opening show, Free Your Mind.

To mark LGBT+ History Month, Senior Curator Katie Belshaw showcases some recent additions to the Science Museum Group’s collection which reveal more about the life and legacy of one of Manchester’s most celebrated scientists and favourite LGBT+ heroes, Alan Turing.

Associate Curator Abigail Wilson takes a look at the items in the Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security exhibition and in our collections that tell the story of Alan Turing’s incredible life and career.