This raid was more of a military operation then a normal police intervention: 50 police officers, wearing bulletproof vests with guns (including machine guns) drawn, went in and arrested 146 patrons, all homosexual men, as part of what was at the time the biggest mass arrest since Trudeau had declared the “War Measures Act” during the October Crisis.
22, 1977, Montreal police raided Truxx and Le Mystique, two gay bars on Stanley St. This resistance to the Olympic ‘cleanup’ set the stage for the massive protest which would occur in 1977. It was organized by CHAR and protested pre-Olympic cleanup raids. On Jun 19, more than 300 queers and supporters joined in one of the largest demonstrations up to that point.
"In late May and early June, all the baths in Montreal were closed…For a lot of men in Montreal, their first experience of the great Olympic ‘clean-up’ was the sight of a policeman’s axe crashing through the door of their room at the baths." The Body PoliticĪn organization called the Comité homosexuel antirépression/Gay Coalition against Repression (CHAR) was set up with representatives from various Montreal gay groups bringing together French and English-speaking activists, lesbians and gay men, with sections of the left and the feminist movements. There have been many important moments, actions and turning points in the Pursuit of LGBT2Q+ acceptance across Turtle Island (Canada), so we present to you a brief timeline of notable milestones, our history is expansive and this is not, by any means, a comprehensive list.Įxplore the milestones in Canadian queer history.įrom Feb 1975 to June 1976, Police raids ramp up at Club Baths, Neptune Sauna and across gay and lesbian bars in Montreal's Stanley Street gay village, this event was widely perceived as mayor Jean Drapeau's attempts to "clean up" the city in advance of the 1976 Summer Olympics. Pride is built on the foundations of a vibrant, diverse grassroots movement filled with activists and community members who took a stand against the rampant harassment, discrimination, violence and police brutality facing the LGBT2Q+ community. We cannot ignore and dismiss our own history. Canada passed a bill that decriminalized homosexuality in May of 1969 before the Stonewall Riots took place in the USA, yet the conversation about the beginnings of Pride often remain US-centric.
#Night shift 1982 homophobic full#
The full story of the history of pride parades and festivals has a rich history across Turtle Island and one that began in what is now known as Canada, long before Stonewall did. Canadian Queer History The Pursuit of LGBT2Q+ Acceptance
0 kommentar(er)
