Episode 348: This is part 2 of our coverage of the Gay Purge in Canada. Last week, we uncovered the origins of the Canadian government’s purge of gays and queer folk, a campaign that began in the early years of the Cold War.
This week, we take a chilling dive into one of the government’s most sinister methods—the Fruit Machine. This pseudoscientific device was meant to expose gay individuals through invasive tests, and how the RCMP and military’s attempted Purge of gays from civil service continued unabated all the way through to the 1990s.
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 2: The 1960’s -1990's | Dark Poutine - True Crime and Dark History podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast
