LGBTQ apology just a beginning: advocate
Before gathering with others and watching a federal government apology for its persecution of LGBTQ military, RCMP and public servants in Canada, Pride Centre of Edmonton program manager Kristy Harcourt said she was cautious.
On Nov. 28, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized to Canadians who were persecuted for being gay, specifically military and civil servants who were purged from the public service between 1950 and 1992.
Harcourt said recently she is pleased by the fact the apology was specific about blackmail, throwing Canadians into military prisons, extorting them and subjecting them to sexual tests.
She also said it was meaningful that every party contributed, and spoke to Canada’s identity of providing asylum.
For many in Edmonton — even those who didn’t serve publicly only to be discriminated against — the apology by Trudeau is an acknowledgment that what many held as their private shame was the result of a publicly sanctioned systemic oppression. They are not alone.
“It was held so personally for people,” she said.
The persecution was more than a lack of hiring, or firing gender and sexual minorities. The government forced people to turn on their lover, their best friends, compounding isolation, Harcourt said.
While Remembrance Day ceremonies are a common and important occasion at seniors homes across the country, for LGBTQ community members, it can be a reminder of their persecution, Harcourt said.
“You don’t tell people you were in the public service, or that you were a veteran, because your acts mattered less than your reputation or how people talked about you,” she said talking about side effects of secrecy.
Older community members Harcourt spoke with were more moved by the apology than they thought they would be, she said.
It was illegal to be a man having sex with a man. Some acts were decriminalized in 1969, but others are still on the books that are illegal for minors. Despite the decriminalization, same-sex attraction was still considered a mental illness.
Women who had sex with women were subject to psychiatric intervention, Harcourt said.
But there is work to be done. “What happens after an apology really matters,” Harcourt said.
Discrimination is still happening, she said. There are worries for trans people who are incarcerated and for LGBTQ people seeking asylum,
“We’re looking with curiosity at some of the announcements that were made,” she said.
She said people don’t want a “giant statue” but meaningful engagement. She said she is worried about a backlash or lack of understanding of why an apology is needed.