Military faces intensive archival search to pinpoint gay purge numbers
OTTAWA — The Defence Department says a painstaking review of dusty personnel files in the national archives may be needed to determine how many people were forced out of the military for being gay or lesbian.
The Trudeau government has signalled its intention to apologize to former military members, hoping to make amends to those who endured federal discrimination over the decades due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The policies had their roots in government efforts that began as early as the 1940s to delve into the personal lives of employees who were considered security risks.
However, inquiries to Defence — including a formal request under the Access to Information Act — reveal the department has no firm sense of the numbers affected between 1969, when homosexual acts were decriminalized, and 1992, when military restrictions on gays were lifted.