LGBT Purge Settlement hugging

Join us to commemorate the 30th anniversary marking the end of the LGBT Purge in Canada.

Egale Canada, along with the LGBT Purge Fund, and Fondation Emergence are commemorating the 30th anniversary marking the end of the LGBT Purge in Canada by hosting a series of regional events across the country. Join us at an event near you for a free screening of the award-winning documentary, The Fruit Machine, and hear from survivors of Canada’s LGBT Purge, including Michelle Douglas, executive director of the LGBT Purge Fund.

History of the LGBT Purge

Between the 1950s and 1992, LGBT members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP, and other federal service employees were subject to discriminatory policy and practice. This became known as the “LGBT Purge.” In 1989 Michelle Douglas was released from the Armed Forces and told she was “not advantageously employable due to homosexuality.” In 1990 she filed suit against the Department of National Defence and was represented by Clayton Ruby. In October 1992, exactly 30 years ago, Michelle Douglas was successful in her claim and the federal government stated it would abandon its policy of banning gays and lesbians from the military.

Emerging from the Purge Report

The State of LGBTQI2S Inclusion in the Federal Workplace is a report written for the LGBT Purge Fund to support the Government of Canada in its efforts to foster a more diverse workplace that is equitable and inclusive of LGBTQI2S (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, Two Spirit) people. It forms part of ongoing reparations for 2SLGBTQIA+ veterans and public servants who were directly affected by the “LGBT Purge” within the Canadian government during the latter part of the 20th century. In 2016, survivors of the LGBT Purge launched a class action lawsuit against the Canadian government and reached a settlement of $145 million in 2018.

The Fruit Machine

Over the course of four decades, thousands of men and women had their privacy invaded and their careers ruined. They were interrogated, threatened, and manipulated. Many suffered psychological effects; some took their own lives. It was one of the largest bullying campaigns in Canada’s history. The fruit machine examines the homosexual witchhunt of public servants and military personnel in Canada from the 1950s through early 1990s.

Event Tour Schedule

Edmonton,
Alberta

6:30 pm MDT
Monday, October 3rd, 2022

Metro Cinema – Garneau Theatre
8712 109 St NW, Edmonton, AB
T6G 1E9

RSVP by email to Kristopher.Wells@MacEwan.ca

Hosted by:
Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, MacEwan University

Vancouver,
British Columbia

6:00 pm PDT
Wednesday, October 5th, 2022

The Junction Pub
1138 Davie St, Vancouver, BC
V6E 4L7

Hosted by:
QMUNITY

Victoria,
British Columbia

6:00 pm PDT
Friday, October 7th, 2022

Bateman Gallery
470 Belleville St, Victoria, BC
V8V 1W9

Hosted by:
QMUNITY

Fredericton,
New Brunswick

2:00 pm ADT
Tuesday, October 11th, 2022

University of New Brunswick, Fredericton
3 Bailey Dr, Fredericton, NB
E3B 5A3

Hosted by:
Rainbow Veterans of Canada

Montréal, 
Québec

17h00 HAE
jeudi 13 octobre 2022

l’idéal bar & Contenus
151 Rue Ontario Est, Montréal, QC
H2X 1H5

Hébergé par :
RLQ (Le Réseau des lesbiennes du Québec)

Generously funded by

LGBT Purge Fund - Le Fonds Purge LGBT (logo)

Organizers

Egale (logo)
Fondation Émergence

Regional Partners

Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, MacEwan University (logo)
Qmunity (logo)
Rainbow Veterans of Canada (logo)
RLQ / QLN (logo)