The Fruit Machine: The Government Machine That Tried to Detect Gay People

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Welcome back to Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, your go-to LGBTQIA+ Australian podcast for all things queer 🌈

On today's episode we're talking about the Fruit Machine, a Canadian government-backed attempt to identify gay people using science.

Yep... you read that right. A machine that was supposed to tell whether someone was gay.

We chat about why the Canadian government believed gay people were a security threat and the devastating LGBT Purge that affected thousands of LGBTQIA+ people.

And while the Fruit Machine itself ultimately failed, we ask a bigger question: what happens when prejudice gets dressed up as science?

Content warning: This episode discusses LGBTQIA+ persecution, discrimination, psychological abuse and sexual assault.

In this episode, we're chatting about:

• The bizarre and disturbing history of the Fruit Machine
• How the Canadian government tried to detect gay people
• The LGBT Purge in Canada
• LGBTQIA+ people, national security and the Cold War
• How science was used to justify homophobia
• Government surveillance and the persecution of queer people
• What the Fruit Machine can teach us about LGBTQIA+ discrimination today
• Why learning queer history still matters

If you'd like to learn more about the Fruit Machine, we also recommend checking out the documentary The Fruit Machine by Sarah Fodey.

Join us as we dive into one of the most bizarre, heartbreaking and important stories in queer history.... And until next time... stay perfectly queer!

Much love
Archie & Katie 🌈

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Much love
Archie & Katie 🌈