The 1981 bathhouse raids in Toronto were a brutal attack by the police force on members of a marginalized community. On February 5th of that year, four bathhouses were simultaneously raided by police, who arrested and humiliated the men inside. These men had done nothing wrong, but some were convicted of being “found-ins at a common bawdy-house” and made to pay a fine. They were also left with a permanent criminal record. One of these men was Ron Rosenes, now chair of the Legal Network’s board.
This month, Ron testified in front of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Rights about his experience and to call for these records to be expunged under Bill C-66. These convictions were rooted in state-sponsored homophobia and shouldn’t be allowed to stand. We applaud Ron and all those who have come forward to tell this important piece of Canadian history.