Survivors, activists mark 30th anniversary of lawsuit that ended the ‘LGBT Purge’

It’s been 30 years since a landmark lawsuit ended the discriminatory policies that led to what’s known as the “LGBT Purge.”

Under policies that took root in the 1950s and continued into the early 1990s, federal agencies investigated, sanctioned, and sometimes fired over 9,000 lesbian and gay members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP and the public service.

These policies ended in 1992 as a result of a lawsuit filed by Michelle Douglas, a former Armed Forces officer who was fired in 1989 for being “not advantageously employable due to homosexuality,” Douglas told CityNews.

Douglas had joined the Armed Forces in 1986 and was unaware of a government policy that subjected members of the military, RCMP or public service employees to discrimination and intense interrogation if they were suspected of being gay.

“It was when I was in the military that I met a fellow officer. And she was wonderful. I fell in love for the first time. And then I realized I had trouble here,” explained Douglas. “Ultimately it cost me my job after days of interrogation, which was really difficult. A polygraph exam [and] really humiliating treatment. I was fired in 1989.”

Douglas explained she had the opportunity to meet two lawyers, Clayton Ruby and Harriet Sax, who said she had a great case to make. “I decided then and there to take the military to court and seek justice,” said Douglas.

She sued the Department of National Defence and as a result, on Oct. 27, 1992, her case was settled and the government officially backtracked on the practice.

“It took a lot and a lot of fighting to end this policy, but it’s made an enormous difference to people so that they can serve their country,” said Douglas. “I know we’ve come such a long way. There are protections in place, laws and policy that protects our human rights and our dignity. But there’s still more to do, and I’m active both in what’s going on in the past and now what the future will look like.”

A class-action lawsuit was filed against the federal government in 2017 and a historic settlement of $145 million was awarded to the victims of the “LGBT Purge.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also issued a formal apology to all 2SLGBTQ+ people who were forced out of the military or public service.

Douglas is now the executive director of the LGBT Purge Fund, which manages the $24 million of settlement money that was dedicated to help heal and raise awareness.

A monument dedicated to telling the stories of those affected by the “LGBT Purge” and other forms of oppression from the government against the 2SLGBTQ+ community is currently being built in Ottawa and work is also being done with the Winnipeg Museum of Human Rights.

“Canadians don’t know about this huge human rights violation in the workplace. They’re shocked when they hear about it, 9,000 or more people in Canada from the 1950s to the mid 1990s experienced these policies. That’s not right. More Canadians need to know about this,” said Douglas.

“I think if we don’t know our history, it’s hard to appreciate how far we’ve come to improve but also I think people will tend to minimize things they don’t know about,” added Douglas.

Douglas, along with other survivors, met with Trudeau on Thursday in Ottawa and spoke about a change in culture needed, especially within the RCMP.

They encouraged the government to implement the 23 recommendations from the recently published report, Emerging from the Purge.

“We don’t need sweet words … we need action and we need real change. Canadians deserve it. Otherwise the legacy of the LGBT Purge will live on forever,” said Dr. Douglas Elliot, an activist and the lead lawyer from the class action lawsuit.

As a human rights activist, Douglas said she is concerned over the hate speech growing online and the “erosion of the vulnerability of the most marginalized in our society.”

“I’m not only standing up for the larger 2SLGBTQ+ community, I want to be there as an ally for other communities that are also experiencing hate. I mean, all of us have an interest to do that. No one wants to live in a world where hate is prevalent and tolerated.”

Survivors will also be gathering on Oct. 29 for the 30th anniversary of Douglas’ lawsuit alongside the 2SLGBTQ+ network of the Toronto police and other community organizations.

“We’re gathering together to acknowledge what happened 30 years ago, and the journey we’ve all been on so it’ll be more [a] celebration, but also a bit of reflection, maybe even some tears,” shared Douglas. “It’s nice to be respected as veterans and honored contributors to Canada.”