Come as you are, but Change Once you Enter

The Misalignment between the Admission and the Integration of Homosexual Individuals in Cold-War Era Canada

Abstract

The Immigration Act of 1952 was the first immigration policy to explicitly mention homosexuals in its list of prohibited persons from immigrating into Canada. Homosexuality was later removed as a ground for denying admission into Canada in the 1978 Immigration Act. In doing so, the Canadian state recognized homosexuals as legal members of the Canadian state through the provision of legal status. I argue that the 1978 amendment was not indicative of the integration of homosexuals in Canadian Society, as the Immigration Act of 1952 was amended due to the increased visibility of the Gay and Lesbian Liberation Movement and the lack of policy influence amongst the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Furthermore, homosexuals continued to be subject to increased surveillance and sexual regulation compared to their heterosexual counterparts; and were subject to pervasive forms homophobia and sexual othering throughout the 1970’s in Cold War Era Canada which strips them of other aspects of Canadian citizenship (i.e. equal rights and social and economic belonging).