"It's the work of all of us to make sure people are informed."

During the Cold War, Canadians became targets of a widespread, systemic effort to identify and expel all any queer people working in the military or public service. This included today's guest, Martine Roy.

Martine was a young woman from Montréal who, looking for a purpose-driven career, joined the Armed Forces. Her world was shattered when one day, she was arrested out of the blue, and subjected to rounds of humiliating interrogation on the subject of her intimate life and sexuality. Eventually, she was dishonourably discharged for being in a relationship with another woman.

This so-called "homosexual witch hunt" lasted for over three decades, and the stories of those persecuted during this time are shared in Sarah Fodey's 2018 documentary, The Fruit Machine.

In this episode, we hear from Martine what it was like to live through this traumatizing experience, but also how she's found new purpose in her life and what steps have been taken to secure justice for the hundreds of people affected by the Purge.

Watch The Fruit Machine (2018) on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dLEn0h4hJI

TD Connected Community Moment
So, what did you think about The Fruit Machine? Did you know about Canada's LGBT Purge? Send us a message on our SpeakPipe, and you may be featured in our next episode! To leave us a message on SpeakPipe, follow this link: https://www.speakpipe.com/TransCanadaStories

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This podcast is created by Simply Good Form, with production assistance and editing from Podstarter. 

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Trans Canada Stories is proudly partnered with TD Bank Group.

Hosts: Emma Stanley (She/Her) and Cyn Sweeney (She/Her)
Producer: Connor Sampson (He/Him) podstarter.io