The Fruit Machine

An admitted series of psychological tests to determine homosexuality within the Canadian Government from 1960 to 1964. The Fruit Machine was in those times used as a literal Gaydar to expel the known gay population from Civil Services such as the countries police and Air Force.

Cold War Blackmail

Canada’s viewpoint was that being homosexual was a character defect and cause for worry thinking that they would be more likely inclined to commit espionage on behalf of the Soviets. This was a focal point of contention that being gay would be such a serious and detrimental national security risk. It led up to a continued 40 year long period of “Gay Purges”. People feared loss of their jobs, imprisonment, and of life itself. In 2017 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized for the policies and guaranteed a $145 million settlement for affected Canadians.