To create a positive future in Canada for ourselves and those around us, we must look back and learn from our country’s history. Engage your students in learning about the LGBT Purge – the systematic identification and expulsion of queer members of the Canadian military, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the federal civil service by the government of Canada.

Program Messages:

• Understanding the effects of the LGBT Purge and why it happened helps us to prevent similar human rights abuses in the future.
• The LGBT Purge was shaped by many overlapping historical events that influenced Canada’s history.
• The LGBT Purge is a story about 2SLGBTQI+ rights which intersects with many other human rights, such as the right to privacy, women’s rights, freedom from racism, and more. 
• We can better understand current human rights struggles and be inspired to take action by learning from Purge survivors and upstanders.