A Story Of Militancy And Endurance
It's undeniable that Canada has garnered a reputation as a progressive, inclusive country, however the struggles that led to this paradigm are storied. One such struggle is that of the LGBTQ+ community, a group that earned their liberation through militancy, perseverance, and sheer determination.
The history of the LGBTQ+ community in Canada dates back to the pre-colonial era. In many Indigenous tribes, there existed non-binary gendered, homosexual, and bisexual people referred to as ‘two-spirit’. With the arrival of European settlers and in turn Christianity a new era of repression was ushered in. This oppression only worsened under British influence. By the early 1800s, LGBTQ+ people could be charged with the “abominable act of buggery” and sentenced to death, though the penalty was reduced to anywhere from 10 years to life in 1861. Throughout this early period of Canadian history, anti-LGBTQ+ laws were vaguely worded and thus people affected by them were generally at the mercy of law enforcement. In 1890, a new law declared that people engaging in gay sex could be charged with gross indecency; this ruling would remain in place for over half a century to come.
The persecution only worsened with the new century, especially with the beginning of the Cold War. By 1961, homosexual people could be charged as “dangerous sexual offenders” unless celibate. A notable victim of this was Everett George Klippert, a mechanic in the Northwest Territories who was imprisoned indefinitely for his sexual orientation. Klippert’s case would be a turning point in Canada’s approach to LGBTQ+ rights: the public outrage against Klippert’s treatment brought attention to the struggle many faced.
At this point in history, Canada still emulated Britain in its approach to LGBTQ+ rights. It was partly this British influence on Canadian law would help kickstart a period of LGBTQ+ liberation. The Wolfenden Report of 1957 urged the British government to decriminalize homosexuality, a recommendation it acted on in 1967. Canada would follow just two years later with prime minister Pierre Trudeau signing Bill C-150 decriminalizing homosexuality.
Greater progress began with the fallout from the Stonewall Riots in June of 1969 which set a precedent of direct action. In august, 1971, LGBTQ+ civil rights demonstrations took place in Ottawa and Vancouver with the first pride celebration in Toronto taking place the following year. Also in 1971, the Body Politic was formed in Toronto, the first publication written by and for members of the LGBTQ+ community; the Politic ran until 1987 though to this day its spiritual successor Daily Xtra is published in Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver. Canada’s equivalent of the Stonewall Riots took place in Toronto in 1981. On February 15th, police arrested 300 gay men throughout the city, sparking outrage the following day that resulted in a riot of over 3000 people outside the 52nd Division headquarters near Queen’s Park. Pride Day is celebrated in Canada on the anniversary of this riot.
During the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s - which disproportionately affected the LGBTQ+ community - the campaign of direct action continued. In 1983, AIDS Vancouver and the Toronto Aids Committee (later the AIDS Committee of Toronto) began operating alongside AIDS Action Now (AAN), a group dedicated to direct action to combat the epidemic. This period is also notoriously responsible for the ban on gay men donating blood which was lifted as recently as 2013. As of 2019 gay men and trans women are still unable to donate blood without first undergoing a 3-month abstinence period.
The 1990s saw a series of landslide breakthroughs were made in the struggle for emancipation. In 1992, homosexual people were allowed to join the military, by 1994 they were able to apply for refugee status, and the following year same sex couples in Ontario were allowed to adopt. Today, the focus of LGBTQ+ groups is less on gay and lesbian people but rather transgender individuals. Though true equality is far from realized, the past century has seen the LGBTQ+ community make significant progress towards it as will the next.