Reflection

Subject and Research

Undergoing the research on this topic was unexpectedly quite an emotionally involved process. I found myself taking more breaks than usual just to process and digest the sources I was using. Despite it not being my first watch, watching and listening to personal testimony in Sarah Fodey’s Fruit Machine affected me deeply, and I had to take a few moments to pause the documentary to process and reflect. While none of the other sources had quite as big of an emotional impact, there were times in my research when I found myself overwhelmed and in need of a quick walk outside or just a change in surroundings. This is also how I knew this was the topic I wanted to pursue because if it can have this effect on me, that is how I know that it is important for me to continue to research.

At first, the process of finding my secondary sources was difficult, mainly due to the differences in terminology used across academia and across time, especially when it comes to queer issues. The terminology for the event as well as terminology when referring to queer people has evolved. The official term used in the class-action lawsuit to refer to the mass expulsion of queer people from the public service and military is ‘LGBT Purge,’ however, some articles use different variations of this. Some sources use the more modern abbreviations ‘LGBTQ’ or ‘LGBTQIA2S+’ while others simply use the words ‘queer,’ and ‘gay’ as all-encompassing terms. There was also the added barrier when it came time to look to primary sources, as some used straightforward terms like ‘homosexuality,’ while others used more veiled ones like ‘lavender.’ Additionally, I had to navigate differentiating Canadian and American or English sources, as the United States and the United Kingdom underwent similar anti-homosexuality campaigns. However, once I found my first few sources, I was able to use the language they used as a director for my research, as well as look to their references, and so on.

Sources: Navigating and Selecting

One of the biggest challenges in this project was navigating the LGBT Purge Historical Document Collection. While the records are organized broadly into categories and periods, there are a few other differentiators, with no titles, creators, or exact years listed. My approach to finding the records I used in this collection was to first conduct my secondary source research, and then search within an established framework. Based on that research, I decided to put most of my focus towards the 1960s and 1970s and to lean more towards the public service side of the spectrum, as I had found it less explored than the military angle. From there, I used the LGBT Purge’s noted ‘important’ records as a jumping-off point (records highlighted in blue on the site).

Starting with the highlighted records, I saved the documents that were most pertinent to my focus and that would be relevant to my exhibition. If I could not find one that was relevant to my focus, I used the categorization provided and I would begin to sift through each record in the subtab and time that I was looking for.

Some other barriers in navigating that I found included document legibility, redacted information, and lack of context. As the records are divided into individual documents on the site, some records will reference attachments not included in that document, with a simple way to find them. For example, I would come across a letter that references an attached report that seemed pertinent to my research. Yet, the report was not named and was not included with the record, nor was the following record in the category.

Format: Using Omeka

I originally chose Omeka as my format for this project for two main reasons; first, I believed that it was the best format to contextualize records and visually demonstrate connections; second, I was excited at the opportunity of a new learning experience. The LGBT Purge records had no metadata, so I thought it would be interesting to build a collection from that starting point.

To my first motivation, after completing the project I still believe that it was the best format to contextualize the records I was working with. I was able to use the government records in connection with other primary source materials, like the Memorandum for the Prime Minister: Canadian Security Policy and Procedures - 1957 – 1963 which included an overview of the fruit machine project alongside the photographs of the electropsychometer and the photo that would have been used in conjunction with the machine to detect homosexuality. I found it incredibly rewarding when I was able to make these connections between the government records and other primary sources, and I would not have been able to make those connections as effectively if I had not used Omeka.

In the beginning, navigating Omeka felt like a bit of a puzzle I was trying to solve, in that it was challenging yet also rewarding to put the pieces together. I looked to some older exhibits as examples and I began by adding all of the records and sources I had saved into a collection. While at times it felt a bit arduous imputing titles, dates, sources, etc. into Omeka, the result of seeing the item details on its page was also satisfying. Once I had the bulk of my work completed, I enjoyed being able to toy with different functions and blocks to see what Omeka was capable of doing and showing. Overall, I enjoyed my experience using Omeka and appreciated the experience of learning a new program which gave me a greater appreciation of the work that goes into online exhibits and archives.