Martine Roy says she was a “little bit punk” when she joined the Army in the summer of 1983.

“I had really spiky hair, honestly, I didn't know what I was doing,” the Montreal native remembers.

She made daily calls telling her Mom she wanted to come home, that the rules and regulations of military life weren’t for her.

“I was scared. I was saying ‘get me out of here, where am I? They’re crazy,’” she said.

Nevertheless, she persisted—with her basic training and English language training.

And, with the comfort that time and familiarity brings, Roy became a “very proud soldier”.

Four decades later, this “little bit punk” soldier survived the trauma of being purged from the military for homosexuality and has become a certified legend in Canadian advocacy circles.

Back in 1983, Roy was working in the Borden, Ontario military pharmacy kitchen, living in barracks, and enjoying the camaraderie with other medical assistants.

“I really liked the sisterhood there, how much we cared for each other,” she said.

In those days, she was dating men and women but was warned to keep her boyfriend front and centre so military brass wouldn’t start nosing around her private life.

“They’re going to find out,” she was warned.

She and her girlfriend kept their boyfriends and saw each other in secret.

Then she got arrested.

“I was really scared, I didn’t understand.”

“‘I am under arrest? I asked. ‘What did I do?’” she said, remembering her mind racing to the handful of times she smoked cannabis.

Her English teacher was in the interrogation room, to make sure she understood what was happening, she was told.

The “harsh and humiliating” interrogation ended with her admitting she had had lesbian relationships.

“I never thought that my sexual orientation was a crime,” she said.

She was sent for psychiatric treatment, continued her training, and after a few months was offered a new three-year contract in communication research—a top secret level position.

She called her Dad to proudly announce she’d bought herself a brand new, champagne-coloured Hyundai Pony.

Then a couple of months later, she was called into the headquarters of the National Defence Medical Centre to receive the news that changed the course of her life and career.

“They said they had made a mistake, that I was being dishonorably discharged for being a homosexual. They gave me nine days [to pack up and leave].”

Roy unsuccessfully appealed the decision.

After that she bounced from job-to-job; working in a civilian pharmacy, a hospital, for a firework company and as a Canada Post mail carrier—anywhere that didn’t resemble the military and the awful experience she had there.

When IBM offered her a position in 1999, she says she was worried she would face discrimination in a large electronics company that was probably too much like the military.

But they assured her they were an inclusive employer.

And they didn’t let her down.

Roy spent two decades as a key author of their inclusivity policies, helping to set up resource groups to support 2SLGBTQI+ employees and raising awareness of their realities to other staff including management. “We spend 75 per cent of our time at work, we have to be ourselves,” she said.

Advocacy work has allowed Roy to make huge changes that have improved the lives of many.

“I have my day job and my gay job,” she explained.

In 2016, Roy led the class action lawsuit that resulted in the Canadian Government’s 2017 apology and the establishment of the LGBT Purge Fund. A settlement was reached in June 2018 which included $145 million, allocating $15 and $25 million for “reconciliation and memorialization measures.” The LGBT Purge Fund is overseeing the creation of a national monument in Ottawa and an exhibition at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.

She now serves as the Regional Director for 2SLGBTQI+ Business Development in Quebec and Eastern Canada for TD Bank. For a decade, she served as a member of the Board of Directors of Pride at Work Canada, a Toronto-based organization she co-founded.

Last year she was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for her advocacy for diversity, inclusion and equity in Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ communities.

“It took me a long time to find my place where I was not discriminated against. That was my goal, to find a place in life where I could be my authentic self and to help other Canadians do the same,” she said.

“It's all interconnected. Life experiences shape you. And then you're able to help other people—you turn something bad into something good.”

Between the 1950s and mid-1990s, LGBT members of Canada’s Armed Forces, the RCMP and the federal public service were systematically discriminated against, harassed and often fired as a matter of policy and practice. In what became known as the LGBT Purge an estimated 9,000 people were followed, interrogated, abused and traumatized. Victims were denied benefits, severance, pensions and opportunities for promotion.

In 1996, the Canadian Human Rights Act was amended to include sexual orientation as a prohibited ground of discrimination.

With courage, integrity and loyalty, Martine Roy is leaving her mark. She is one of Canada’s proud Armed Forces members. Discover more stories.