Episode 4.2: The Purge with Honourary Colonel Michelle Douglas, 33rd Vimy Award Laureate

Welcome to autumn and to a new season of Battle Rhythm, with co-host Thomas Hughes, Assistant Professor at Mount Allison University. Steve and Thomas discuss the US Department of War/Defence’s public GOFO lecture, National Guard deployments and Thomas reports on the reactions in Belgium as drones fly over NATO Airspace, finally what are we learning from all of this when it comes to theory? (A: the Huntingtonian model is out) Today’s feature interview is with Michelle Douglas, Michelle is a veteran, a former military officer, a survivor of Canada’s “LGBT Purge” and an activist in the movement to seek legal equality for the 2SLGBTQ+ community over the past 30 years. She is a bridge-builder. Michelle served as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces from 1986 to 1989. Despite a distinguished service record, she was honorably discharged after being deemed “Not Advantageously Employable Due to Homosexuality.” After being fired by the military, Michelle’s landmark legal challenge in 1992 ended Canada’s formalized discriminatory policy against LGBT members of the military. This experience launched a decades-long commitment to volunteerism and activism for Michelle. She has been a part of many legal challenges to seek equality for the 2SLGBTQI+ community. Professionally, Michelle had a 30-year career in public service. She retired from the federal Department of Justice in 2019 where she held the position of Director of International Relations. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the LGBT Purge Fund. Michelle is a member of the board of directors of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation. She was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and was presented with the Canada Pride Citation in 2023. She was recently named an Honorary Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces; she is assigned to the organization known as the Chief Professional Conduct and Culture. Michelle is a graduate of Carleton University.