Collections by Michelle Brown WSG Canadian Todd Ross

Todd Ross currently lives in Toronto. He served in the Canadian Navy from 1987 till 1990 when he was released for being gay. As a young sailor, he was investigated by the military police. The investigation lasted 18-months and when he finally admitted that he was gay, he was released with an honorable discharge.

In 2016, he joined two other former soldiers to launch a lawsuit against the Canadian government and on November 28, 2017, the government of Canada settled the class action lawsuit. The settlement was on the same day Prime Minister Trudeau made the historic apology to LGBTQ2 people in Canada. As part of the settlement, a $25 million reconciliation and memorialization fund was established. Todd serves as the Vice-Chair of this fund.

He is Métis and is the President of the Toronto and York Region Métis Council (The Métis are a distinct Indigenous people in Canada).

We’ve all heard the old adage that “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” For many in the LGBTQ community in the United States, the other side of the fence has been Canada. LGBTQ2 rights in Canada are some of the most advanced in the Americas and in the world. But is the grass really greener north of the border.

Todd talks about life in Canada as a member of the LGBTQ community – the good, the bad, the real and lessons we can all learn from our neighbors to the north.