Michelle Douglas was an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces when in 1989, she was discharged upon being deemed “not advantageously employable due to homosexuality.”

Her landmark legal challenge to the “LGBT Purge” ended the formalized discriminatory policy in Canada’s military and launched her career as an activist in the movement to seek legal equality for the LGBT2Q+ community.

She will discuss her personal journey and the devastating effects of this historical period of discrimination in a free public presentation, “The Accidental Legal Activist,” presented by Women’s and Gender Studies in the School of Social Work on Thursday, Oct. 20, in celebration of Persons Day.

The event will run 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in room 203, Toldo Health Education Centre. Find more information on the program website.