Queer Legends: An Oral History Podcast

Queer Legends earned a Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Documentary in 2023, and Season 2 shows why the recognition was deserved. Host Shawn Dearn tells the true story of Canada's LGBT Purge -- the government's systematic anti-homosexual campaigns spanning from World War I to the present -- using declassified documents from the LGBT Purge class-action settlement. It's investigative documentary work in podcast form. Season 1 profiled queer artists, activists, performers, and pivotal moments in LGBTQ+ history more broadly. Season 2 narrows the focus to the Purge through an 8-part series featuring interviews with survivors, academics, researchers, former politicians, and military officials. Episodes run 40 to 55 minutes, with shorter quickie episodes under 20 minutes scattered throughout the 30-episode catalog. The show updated monthly and recently tackled contemporary issues like Trump's 2025 military transgender policies, connecting past persecution to present-day politics. The 3.7-star rating from 7 reviews undersells it -- this is a small-audience show doing serious documentary work. It's funded by community grants from The LGBT Purge Fund and features exclusive interviews connected to Canada's Rideau Hall. If you're interested in the specific mechanics of how governments targeted queer people, and how those targeted fought back, Queer Legends provides documentation you won't find anywhere else.