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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! | BONUS CONTENT: https://lgbtpurge.ca/ 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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Cleve Jones and the AIDS Memorial Quilt

2026/04/12

A Queer Legends × Art Against Empire crossover. Ian Danger Capstick sits down with Cleve Jones, the activist who conceived the AIDS Memorial Quilt on a cold November night in 1985 with a stack of posterboard and Harvey Milk's own bullhorn, given to Cleve after Harvey was assassinated. They talk about the afternoon Cleve first walked into Castro Camera, the morning Gilbert Baker raised the first rainbow flag, the grandmothers who could not find the words, and Seven Days in June, the new mobilization Cleve is building to mark forty-five years of HIV and AIDS. Close to an hour, close to uncut, and one of the most important conversations either one of our shows has had this year. We hope you enjoy this crossover episode. And don't worry...season 3 of Queer Legends: An Oral History Podcast is in the works!

The U.S. Military's Transgender Purge

2025/04/09

On 25 January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order that launched a new military Purge of America's Transgender servicemen and servicewomen. Trump's Order is based on outdated, bigoted and transphobic tropes that do not hold up to scientific, nor legal scrutiny. In this episode I introduce you to United States Space Force Colonel, Bree Fram, one of the highest-ranking, openly transgender, officers in the United States military. Hear what it's like to defend America from within Donald Trump's Republican-made culture war. NOTE: The opinions expressed by Colonel Fram in this episode are her own and they do not reflect those of her employer.

The LGBT Purge Interrogation Room

2025/03/21

In this haunting episode, I explore the chilling discovery of a former Canadian Armed Forces interrogation room used during the LGBT Purge, that's now an ordinary office space. Once a site where gay and lesbian soldiers were questioned and persecuted for their sexuality, this room's dark history has been erased, its walls repainted and repurposed while its secrets lay dormant. Join us as we uncover how this space of institutional violence is being remembered many decades later. Learn more at https://lgbtpurge.ca/ Cover art photo by Aaron Cohen, Canadian Museum For Human Rights Create and hosted by Shawn Dearn. Executive Producer: Ian Capstick

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

2024/07/11

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!

We Demand An Apology - Pt.7

2024/07/04

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.

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

2024/06/27

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.

Towards Equality For Some - Pt.5

2024/06/20

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!

We Demand and Lesbians In The Military - Pt.4

2024/06/13

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.

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

2024/06/07

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!

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

2024/06/01

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".

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

2024/05/30

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!

The True Story of Canada's LGBT Purge - TRAILER

2024/05/08

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.

Everett Klippert: The only Canadian man imprisoned for life for being gay

2024/01/01

The Calgary Gay History Project's Kevin Allen shares his research into an important and reluctant queer legend - Everett George Klippert. Klippert was the only Canadian ever declared a "dangerous sexual offender" by the Supreme Court of Canada and he was sentenced to life in prison for being incurably gay. Public and political outcry over the Klippert verdict helped lead to changes to Canada's criminal code in 1969 that (among other things) decriminalized homosexual acts, in private, between two consenting adults. Despite the change in the law, Everett Klippert remained in prison for another two years and was released in 1971. ----- WATCH | Gross Indecency: The Everett Klippert Story https://youtu.be/QABY0q7jJfc?feature=shared

Lorraine Segato and the Unexpected Queer Anthem: Rise Up

2023/11/23

Meet Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter, social justice activist and Member of the Order of Canada, Lorraine Segato in episode 17 of Queer Legends. As co-founder of The Parachute Club, Segato and her 1980s bandmates struck a chord with Canadians with their top 10 hit Rise Up, which helped inspire a generation of human rights and other activism during a pivotal time in Canadian history. Enjoy this fun, smart and candid conversation about The Parachute Club's impact and their accidental queer anthem. Cover photo: LorraineSegato.com

Margaret Cho: Comedian, actor, activist and inspiration!

2023/07/26

It was an honour to be invited by the Canadian Labour Congress to host a 'fire-side chat' with comedian, actor, writer and human rights activist, Margaret Cho at their #CLC2023 conference! Hear about Margaret's connection to the labour movement, 2SLGBTQ+ rights, her involvement in anti-racism campaigns and the fight for a more equitable future. "Everyone is connected to the queer community, whether they realize it or not," she said. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed hearing from one of our community's true queer legends. If you enjoy Queer Legends: An Oral History Podcast please tell your friends about us and go give us a good review/rating wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks!