Starring as the brilliant yet maltreated World War II hero Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game" pushed Benedict Cumberbatch's gay rights campaign into action.
The Oscar nominated actor, along with Stephen Fry and other advocates, sent an open letter to the British government to pardon 49,000 gay men convicted of "gross indecency" alongside Turing in the past.
According to the quoted petition via The Guardian, many of those convicted took their own lives but an estimated 15,000 are believed to still be alive. Turing, himself, received hormonal injections instead of imprisonment, so that he can still continue with his work. The punishment eventually aided in the deterioration of his health.
While the code breaker was given a posthumous pardon in 2013, when the "intolerant law" was repealed, others weren't given the same treatment.
"Each of these 49,000 men deserves the justice and acknowledgment from the British government that this intolerant law brought not only unwarranted shame, but horrific physical and mental damage and lost years of wrongful imprisonment to these men," the petition letter from Change.org read.
Benedict Cumberbatch's gay rights campaign also sent an open letter to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. However, the said plea was reportedly snubbed by the royal couple.
According to The Guardian, the letter condemned the homophobic law's "intolerable" effects to "the lives of generations of gay and bisexual men."
"It is up to young leaders of today including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to acknowledge this mark on our history and not allow it to stand," the petition continued.
"We call upon Her Majesty's government to begin a discussion about the possibility of pardoning all the men, alive or deceased, who like Alan Turing were convicted."
According to The Independent, Prince William and Princess Kate gave their answer through a spokesperson last Saturday.
The royal pair, who are currently on vacation with their son Prince George, reportedly rejected Benedict Cumberbatch's gay rights campaign because it was a "matter for the government" and therefore could not comment about the issue.
The online petition already has more than 100,000 signatures.
