While The Rainbow Well primarily curates resources that are at the intersection of faith and sexuality/gender, we occasionally make exceptions where the context demands it. As a Canadian-based platform, we believe it is essential to reckon honestly with the history of this land, especially where it has caused harm to 2SLGBTQIA+ people. This is one of those moments.

From the 1950s through the late 20th century, the Canadian government carried out what is now known as the LGBT Purge, targeting thousands of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals working in the military, civil service, and other areas deemed sensitive during the Cold War. Among the tools used was the so-called “Fruit Machine,” a pseudoscientific device intended to detect queerness through physiological responses. It was invasive, unreliable, and part of a broader system of surveillance, interrogation, and forced dismissal that left lasting harm on countless lives.

The documentary The Fruit Machine offers a sobering look at this history. More than a study of a device, it reveals the human cost of a system that sought to identify, isolate, and erase 2SLGBTQIA+ people. We share it here as an act of remembrance, and as a reminder that the work of justice requires us to tell the truth about where we have been.

Please watch the full documentary above and share this story widely.