I learned something last week; something I should have known about (at least have been aware of) and I remain somewhat in shock to have learned it. How could the country I love have caused such devastating hurt to so many who did not deserve the pain? I feel compelled to share what I have learned; let me start at the beginning.
I attended a one day conference last week. It was put on by an organization I have the utmost respect for, the BCWLE. This was only their second annual conference yet the audience was over 300 strong; mostly women, some men. All are currently serving (except for a few of us oldies) and showing the strength and courage we expect of all our law enforcement personnel.
I was very glad to be able to attend, as the speakers arranged for this day were stellar. Each one delivered a powerful message, but the key-note speaker; well she pretty much left us all 'stunned', myself perhaps more than the rest... as I am older... and I should have known. I can only say that at least the first decade of my career was filled with challenges and dealing with those took up all of my time and most of my focus. So here I am, at the ripe old age of 71 and only now learning about what I will share with you herein. Maybe some of you have already heard this message; maybe you haven't. I'm sharing it in the hopes you will pass it along to whomever you care for or about and I ask you to do this for the simple reason that it happened and it must never happen again. The following description includes information taken directly from the BCWLE introduction pamphlet.
Michelle Douglas is the Executive Director of the LGBT Purge Fund. She is also a veteran, a former military police officer, and a survivor of Canada's "LGBT Purge". She has spent the past 30 years as an activist in the LGBT2Q+ community. Michelle spoke for an hour and a half, during which time she shared her own personal story about her time in the military (1986-1989). She did very well in her initial training; so well she was sent to Officer Training for the Military Police. She graduated top of her class and anticipated a long career serving her country. But that didn't happen for Michelle. Instead, she, along with hundreds of other members of the Canadian military and the RCMP, was singled out because of her 'suspected' sexual orientation. She was subjected to severe interrogations (without counsel) and then, like the rest, stripped of her position and dismissed. Despite a distinguished service record, she was honorably discharged after being deemed "Not Advantageously Employable Due to Homosexuality".
"After being fired by the military, Michelle's landmark legal challenge in1992 ended Canada's formalized discriminatory policy against LGBT members of the military."
"Professionally, Michelle had a 30-year career in public service. She retired from the Canadian Department of Justice in 2019 where she held the position of Director of International Relations." "Michelle is a member of the board of directors of the Michaelle Jean Foundation [and] was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. In 2021, Maclean's Magazine named Michelle on their "Power List 50". She is a graduate of Carleton University and resides in Ottawa."
Michelle's story, and the personal story of other victims of this needless and horrific display of injustice, is featured in a documentary called The Fruit Machine. "This documentary examines the homosexual witch-hunt of public servants and military personnel in Canada from the 1950s through the early 1990s. These men and women had their privacy invaded and their careers ruined by the Canadian government.
I ask you to view the documentary and to realize that, even today, this type of discriminatory practice exists in far too many corners of our world. Hatred can spring up in so many ways. It's up to us to protect each other from such unjustified persecution
"The Fruit Machine" is available to view online here
