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This paper argues a potentially controversial thesis in virtue ethics, i.e., in situations of oppression and marginalisation, it is better to be a person of atypical virtue, one who has struggled to resist oppressive circumstances, than it is to be a traditionally defined virtuous agent. As such, those who have been through a tragic dilemma (or several) are more important for successful resistance movements than their traditionally defined counterparts. This paper does not romanticise oppressive situations or their influence on some individuals developing virtuous actions and behaviours. Instead, it acknowledges that these are tragic circumstances that permanently affect some individuals for the rest of their lives. However, the argument here is that these individuals can utilise their experiences as reasons to continue resisting until a time comes where future generations will not need to experience such tragic circumstances. To demonstrate the applicability of this argument, this paper will consider the struggles of queer individuals in a Canadian context. This is achieved by demonstrating how those individuals who led the fight for queer rights used their experiences of marginalisation in early resistance movements. It then shifts focus to address current issues in Canadian queer lives.

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Painful Virtue, Marginalisation, and Resistance

This paper argues a potentially controversial thesis in virtue ethics, i.e., in situations of oppression and marginalisation, it is better to be a person of atypical virtue, one who has struggled to resist oppressive circumstances, than it is to be a traditionally defined virtuous agent. As such, those who have been through a tragic dilemma (or several) are more important for successful resistance movements than their traditionally defined counterparts. This paper does not romanticise oppressive situations or their influence on some individuals developing virtuous actions and behaviours. Instead, it acknowledges that these are tragic circumstances that permanently affect some individuals for the rest of their lives. However, the argument here is that these individuals can utilise their experiences as reasons to continue resisting until a time comes where future generations will not need to experience such tragic circumstances. To demonstrate the applicability of this argument, this paper will consider the struggles of queer individuals in a Canadian context. This is achieved by demonstrating how those individuals who led the fight for queer rights used their experiences of marginalisation in early resistance movements. It then shifts focus to address current issues in Canadian queer lives.