Queer Legends: An Oral History Podcast

Shawn Dearn
  • 3.7 (7)
  • DOCUMENTARY
  • MONTHLY SERIES
Queer Legends: An Oral History Podcast

Season-2 tells the The True Story of Canada's LGBT Purge in a landmark eight part documentary series. It's the first documentary to share the full extent of Canada's anti-homosexual campaigns from WW1 to today, based on our research of thousands of pages of newly declassified documents released through the LGBT Purge class-action settlement. From ridiculous to shocking, you'll hear amazing true stories from courageous survivors; academics; researchers; former MPs, cabinet ministers and a retired Chief of Defence Staff. We even uncovered a 1960s Purge mystery that led all the way to Rideau Hall - and we have the exclusive interview! Season 2 is supported in part by a community grant from The LGBT Purge Fund. Thank you!! ------- Season-1 of Queer Legends is the 2023 Canadian Podcast Awards winner of Outstanding Documentary series. Our first season is about the people who built the rainbow, created space and held their own! Discover the artists, activists, performers, politicians and pivotal moments that shaped Queer history and how the 2SLGBTQ+ community protests today. Host/Producer: Shawn Dearn Executive Producer: Ian Capstick

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  1. Queers of the First and Second World Wars - Pt.1

    EPISODE 1

    Queers of the First and Second World Wars - Pt.1

    Welcome to Season 2 of Queer Legends: The True Story About Canada's LGBT Purge. We begin with amazing new research that has uncovered what life was like for gay and bisexual soldiers during the First World War. From the “gross indecency” laws that imprisoned heroic Canadian queer soldiers, to the military-sanctioned drag shows that made Ross Hamilton’s ‘Marjorie’ a star. This is where Canada’s anti-queer campaign and the Cold War began. You'll also hear from someone who knew Ross Hamilton, personally!

    40 min
  2. How Canada's LGBT Purge Got Started - Pt.2

    EPISODE 2

    How Canada's LGBT Purge Got Started - Pt.2

    This is a true-crime episode. Gripped with paranoia about Soviet spies using ‘human weaknesses’ to steal government secrets, Canada and its allies started hunting for and eliminating homosexuals from government employment. Investigative journalist Dean Beeby tells the incredible story about how the RCMP interrogated a retired Canadian ambassador to death for being gay; plus Patrizia Gentile, co-author of The Canadian War On Queers and a professor at Carleton University, gives you context for how the Government of Canada invented an imaginary enemy in "gay people".

    39 min
  3. The Fruit Machine and Bedrooms of The Nation - Pt.3

    EPISODE 3

    The Fruit Machine and Bedrooms of The Nation - Pt.3

    The Government of Canada and RCMP Intelligence Service engaged in unethical human research experiments on homosexual Canadians throughout the 1960s. Queer Legends' research sheds new light on the origins and timeline of Canada’s so-called "Fruit Machine" project and its clear links to Carleton University; the CIA’s MK Ultra program at McGill; and to other similar human research programs on homosexuals that took place in the United States. Meanwhile, changing social attitudes about homosexuality and a terrible Supreme Court of Canada ruling led Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to say "the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation." Listen now!

    44 min
  4. We Demand and Lesbians In The Military - Pt.4

    EPISODE 4

    We Demand and Lesbians In The Military - Pt.4

    Canadian queer resistance emerges in the 1970s and puts a spotlight on the injustices facing gays and lesbians. This caused further police, military and government crackdowns on queers across Canada - particularly in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa in the lead up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Lesbians in the Canadian Armed Forces were “walking a tightrope” over the perils of sexual violence by servicemen and discovery of their sexual orientation.

    54 min
  5. Towards Equality For Some - Pt.5

    EPISODE 5

    Towards Equality For Some - Pt.5

    The 1980s were a pivotal decade in Canadian politics and history, including key battles for queer liberation and rights. You’ll hear about former MP Svend Robinson’s efforts to get homosexuality into the Canadian Human Rights Act and protection under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; the military and RCMP efforts to undermine the Charter rights of their members; and a straight Commanding Officer who defended his top-performing soldier from multiple SIU investigations. A young Queen Elizabeth II also has a few things to say in this episode!

    53 min
  6. The Ban On Gays In The Military Ends (On Paper) - Pt.6

    EPISODE 6

    The Ban On Gays In The Military Ends (On Paper) - Pt.6

    By the early 1990s the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney knew it could not continue the military’s anti-homosexuality policies. However, his ministers and military kept looking for loopholes to continue their discrimination against LGB soldiers. Discover the behind-the-scenes legal drama that led to, what many consider to be, the end of the military’s ban on gays in the military - including an interview with former diplomat and Chief of Defence Staff, John de Chastelain. Legal challenges to the government's heteronormative views of relationships were also leading to equal employment benefits, which would eventually apply to members of the military and RCMP.

    50 min
  7. We Demand An Apology - Pt.7

    EPISODE 7

    We Demand An Apology - Pt.7

    Before the Government of Canada’s apology and before the LGBT Purge class-action lawsuit, there was a small group of dedicated Canadians who were determined to get justice. This network of Purge survivors, academics, researchers and activists was known as the We Demand An Apology Network (WDAN). The WDAN group was the catalyst that led to the landmark class-action lawsuit, settlement, and apology to queer Canadians. Meantime, the lives of queer soldiers and RCMP members were improving, but only slightly. You’re going to be surprised/not surprised by a couple of these stories - including the military's first Pride Flag raising ceremony, and how the Government of Canada’s apology nearly fell apart at the last minute.

    50 min
  8. Legacy Of The LGBT Purge and A Queer Mystery - Pt.8

    EPISODE 8

    Legacy Of The LGBT Purge and A Queer Mystery - Pt.8

    The road to justice for LGBT Purge survivors was not an easy one - even after the Government of Canada’s apology. Seeking justice also meant that Purge survivors had to confront and relive some truly terrible memories. The eighth and final episode in our series that tells The True Story Of Canada’s LGBT Purge celebrates victory; seeks accountability from Carleton University for the ‘Fruit Machine’ and more documents from the federal government; explores a 1960s Purge mystery linked to Rideau Hall; introduces the drag queen who is also a CAF pilot; and the queer Thunderhead monument breaks ground in Canada’s capital!

    50 min
  9. The True Story of Canada's LGBT Purge - TRAILER

    SEASON 2 TRAILER

    The True Story of Canada's LGBT Purge - TRAILER

    Coming June 1, 2024 | Season 2 of Queer Legends shares The True Story of Canada's LGBT Purge in a landmark, eight part documentary series. This is the first documentary to examine the full extent of Canada's anti-homosexual campaigns using newly declassified documents released by the LGBT Purge Fund. From ridiculous to shocking, you'll hear amazing true stories from courageous survivors; academics; researchers; former MPs and cabinet ministers.

    2 min
See All Season 2 (9)

Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

3.7
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Season-2 tells the The True Story of Canada's LGBT Purge in a landmark eight part documentary series. It's the first documentary to share the full extent of Canada's anti-homosexual campaigns from WW1 to today, based on our research of thousands of pages of newly declassified documents released through the LGBT Purge class-action settlement. From ridiculous to shocking, you'll hear amazing true stories from courageous survivors; academics; researchers; former MPs, cabinet ministers and a retired Chief of Defence Staff. We even uncovered a 1960s Purge mystery that led all the way to Rideau Hall - and we have the exclusive interview! Season 2 is supported in part by a community grant from The LGBT Purge Fund. Thank you!! ------- Season-1 of Queer Legends is the 2023 Canadian Podcast Awards winner of Outstanding Documentary series. Our first season is about the people who built the rainbow, created space and held their own! Discover the artists, activists, performers, politicians and pivotal moments that shaped Queer history and how the 2SLGBTQ+ community protests today. Host/Producer: Shawn Dearn Executive Producer: Ian Capstick

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