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The apple of Turing symbolizes how the destructive shadow of culture can lead to physical and psychological death when culture systems deny someone the ability to become who they really are. It is also a sad reminder of the cultural impact well into the twentieth century that homosexuality in America was diagnosed as a mental illness.

In Greek and Roman mythology, the apple symbolized the human need to have sexual desire toward their lover. Dionysius offered apples to Aphrodite to win her heart and love and the Roman goddess Venus was often pictured with an apple to express the importance of love and desire. Although debunked as the inspiration for the symbol of Apple computers, when Steve Jobs was asked if the Apple symbol was based on Turing, he replied that he wished it was, but it was just a coincidence.