“Forces ignore outcry, expel Thornborrow”

“Forces ignore outcry, expel Thornborrow”

An article discussing the discharge of Private Barbara Thornborrow by the Canadian Forces. The discharge was issued with the justification that “service policy does not allow for the retention of sexual deviates”. Private Thornborrow was surprised to be suddenly expelled from the Armed Forces after coming forward about the harassment she was facing for being a lesbian, or “alleged lesbian activity”, as it was put by the Canadian Forces. She spoke publicly about her dismissal to various Canadian media outlets, and is noted to have inspired another lesbian to come forward about her expulsion from the Armed Forces. The article also discusses the expulsion of seven other women working on a base in Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador by the Canadian Forces based on sexual orientation, and the Defence Minister’s silence when asked by the National Gay Rights Coalition to explain the Forces’ attitude towards homosexuals in its ranks.

This article was posted in the Body Politic newsletter. The Body Politic was a queer, activist-based Canadian monthly newsletter that was published from 1971 to 1987. It is one of the most significant queer publications in Canadian history, and played a significant role in amplifying the Gay Liberation Movement and provided a crucial space for queer voices to be heard.

Pink Triangle Press

Pink Triangle Press and Canadian Museum for Human Rights https://archive.org/details/bodypolitic35toro/page/4/

Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Internet Archive

July/August 1977

JPEG

English

Newsletter Article