Episode 347: In this episode, part one of two, thanks to Mathew’s intrepid and unflinching research, we’re peeling back the layers on one of the most harrowing chapters in Canadian history: the Gay Purge.
Officially, the campaign targeted LGBTQ+ individuals as part of a national security effort—citing their supposed susceptibility to blackmail by Soviet agents - But the real story is that these purges were driven more by institutional homophobia cloaked in Cold War fears and rhetoric than by legitimate security concerns. The blackmail excuse became a convenient cover for the government's systemic discrimination, allowing a deeply entrenched homophobia to flourish unchecked.
This campaign stretched from the 1950s through to the 1990s, destroying lives, careers, and communities along the way. We’ll explore the origins of this agenda, how it escalated, and look at a few of the stories of individuals affected.
Sources:
Peyton V. Lyon, The Loyalties of E. Herbert Norman: A Report Prepared for External Affairs and International Trade Canada, March 18, 1990 (Ottawa: 1990).
Bowen, Roger W, Innocence Is Not Enough: The Life and Death of Herbert Norman (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1986).
Kinsman, Gary, and Patrizia Gentile. The Canadian War on Queers: National Security as Sexual Regulation. University of British Columbia Press, 2010.
The Canadian Encyclopedia: "Canada’s Cold War Purge of 2SLGBTQ2+ from Public Service" The Canadian Encyclopedia
Village Legacy Project: "Ottawa LGBT History: The 'Fruit Machine'" Village Legacy Project
https://definingmomentscanada.ca/all-for-9/historical-articles/lgbt-purge/#_edn3https://www.trentarthur.ca/news/i-was-a-good-soldier-understanding-the-fruit-machine-2018-dir-sarah-fodeyhttps://ambcanada.ca/ambassadors/egerton-herbert-norman/
Arthur Newspaper
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The Gay Purge in Canada Part 1: The 1940’s-1960’s | Dark Poutine - True Crime and Dark History podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast
