December 30 Toronto Five members of […]

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When

1977-12-30

Description

December 30 Toronto Five members of Operation P, a joint Toronto Police – Ontario Provincial Police anti-pornography squad, presented a search warrant and entered the offices of the Body Politic (21 Duncan Street, fifth floor). They stayed for more than three hours and seized twelve shipping cartons of material, including subscription lists, corporate records, chequebooks, distribution and advertising records, manuscripts for publication, personal mail, and material in the Canadian Gay Archives (at the same location). The material was seized so that it might be examined for evidence to support the laying of charges under the Criminal Code, relating to the newspaper's publication of Gerald Hannon's article "Men Loving Boys Loving Men." Charges were not laid immediately, but were pending. This police action sparked outrage among progressives and civil libertarians across Canada, as well as in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London. Within days, letters of support were received from across the continent. Canadian journalists Pierre Berton, June Callwood, and Charles Templeton deplored the police actions, as did eight members of Toronto city council, who expressed their "extreme concern" in a letter to Ontario's Attorney-General Roy McMurtry. Later, many prominent individuals and organizations issued statements of support for the Body Politic. There were numerous stories and events related to the trials and appeals of Pink Triangle Press/Body Politic from the end of 1977 through 1981. (See also December 31, 1977; January 4, 1978; January 5, 1978; February 1978; February 3, 1978; February 7, 1978; March 15, 1978; March 23, 1978; March 30, 1978; April 14, 1978; April 24, 1978; May 24, 1978; June 5, 1978; June 28, 1978; June 28–30, 1978; July 18, 1978; September 8, 1978; September 29, 1978; November 9, 1978; December 30, 1978; January 2, 1979; January 3, 1979; January 31, 1979; February 14, 1979; March 6, 1979; March-April 1979; April 11, 1979; June 2, 1979; June 15, 1979; October 26, 1979; December 27, 1979; February 6, 1980; February 7–8, 1980; February 29, 1980; March 4–5, 1981; March 18, 1981; October 6, 1981; November 24, 1981; and December 21, 1981.)

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November 24 Toronto PTP officers […]October 6 Ottawa Three justices of […]March 18 Toronto Justice Thomas […]March 4–5 Toronto The Ontario Court […]February 29 Toronto County Court […]December 31 Toronto Members of the […]January 4 Toronto The Body Politic […]February Toronto An editorial in the […]February 3 Toronto The February […]February 7 Toronto About sixty […]March 15 Toronto Justice Hugh […]March 23 Toronto Sixty people […]March 30 Toronto In discussing the […]April 14 Toronto A three-man panel […]May 24 Toronto The OAC informed the […]June 5 Ottawa A three-judge panel of […]June 28 Toronto The Toronto police […]June 28–30 Toronto The OAC decided […]July 18 Toronto The trial date for […]September 8 Toronto CGRO presented a […]September 29 Toronto The OAC awarded […]November 9 Toronto BPFPF had an […]December 30 Toronto The fundraising […]January 3 Toronto The BPFPF and the […]January 31 Toronto The St. George […]February 14 Toronto Ontario […]March 6 Toronto Ontario's Attorney […]March–April Toronto After its […]April 11 Toronto The Ontario […]June 2 Toronto Gay demonstrators […]June 15 Ottawa Members of the […]October 26 Toronto Provincial Court […]October 30 Winnipeg Provincial Court […]February 6 Toronto The BPFPF […]February 7-8 Toronto County Court […]November 21 Toronto Issue 39 […]December 28 Toronto Ontario's […]

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Toronto Gate Toronto Office second location Canada New York Los Angeles San Francisco London

All People

Gerald Hannon Pierre Berton June Callwood Charles Templeton Roy McMurtry

All Organizations

Toronto Police Service Ontario Provincial Police Canadian Gay Liberation Movement Archives, The Canadian Gay Archives, Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives Toronto City Council

All Periodicals

The Body Politic

All Articles

Men Loving Boys Loving Men

All Citations

Doug Young, "Editorial," Gay Calgary, 2, no. 1 (January 1978): (1).[Merv Walker], "The Body Politic Raid: 'Grave Implications for Freedom of the Press,'" Georgia Straight, 3–10 November 1978, pp. 9–10 Sue Vohanka, "Police Raid Gay Paper," McGill Daily (McGill Univ., Montréal), 10 March 1978, pp. 3, 5 "TBP Raided & Charged: Office Searched for More Than Three Hours, Pink Triangle Directors Slapped with Obscenity Charges," Body Politic, no. 40 (1978), pp. 8–9 "Support: Loud and Strong," Body Politic, no. 40 (1978), p. 9 Jim Steels, "Dissenting Viewpoint," Gayzen, April 1978, p. (5–6)Stuart Russell, "Police Raid The Body Politic," NGRC Forum, 3, no. 1 (Winter 1978): (4)Stuart Russell, "Les flics au journal The Body Politic," Gai(e)s du Québec: Bulletin, 2, no. 1 (February 1978) : (6)"Support," Body Politic, no. 43 (1978), p. 5 Michael Riordon, "A Free Country," Body Politic, no. 40 (1978), p. 21 "Police Raid Paper," Gaymates (Saskatoon), no. 11 (1978), pp. 2–3 "Police Raid Body Politic," Dalhousie Gazette (Dalhousie Univ., Halifax), 19 January 1978 "Police Raid Archives," Gay Archivist (Toronto), no. 2 (1978), p. 1 "Our Enemies Are Organizing" (editorial), After Stonewall, no. 5 (1978), p. (2)"Of Claire Hoy and Body Politic" (editorial), Excalibur (York Univ., North York, Ont.), 19 January 1978, p. 4 "Notes and Comments," Books in Canada, February 1978, p. 24 Ed Miller, "Cops Fail to Close Gay Magazine: Articles, Mailing Lists Seized," Socialist Voice, 23 January 1978, p. 4 Kirk Makin and Sue Vohanka, interviewing Gerald Hannon and Ed Jackson, "Eye Interview: The Body Politic: A Police Raid on BP Last Month Shut Down Toronto's Gay Newspaper," Eyeopener (Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, Toronto), 26 January 1978, p. 11 Joanne Kates, "Impolitic Moves: All Over Canada, Homosexuals Are Being Harassed by the Law," Globe and Mail Fanfare, metro ed., 4 January 1978, p. 13 J.M.K., "The Body Politic" (letter), Metro Community News 5 (March 1978): 6–7 Michael Connors Jackman, "Bawdy Politics: Remembering Sexual Liberation" (PhD dissertation, Anthropology, York University, 2013)Gerald Hannon, "Gay Paper Victimized" (letter), 7 News (Toronto), 14 January 1978, p. 2 Rick Gill, "Raid Raises Serious Issues: Body Politic," Georgian (Concordia Univ., Montréal), 17 January 1978, pp. 5–6 "Gay Newspaper Raided," GO Info, 5, no. 1 (15 January 1978) : 3–4 "Freedom of the Press Under Attack," Gay Rising, January 1978, p. (2)"Freedom of the Gay Press," Gay Tide, no. 19 (1978), p. 6 "Depravity" (editorial), Toronto Sun, 5 January 1978, p. 10 "Crisis: In the Midst of Danger, A Chance to Unite" (editorial), Body Politic, no. 40 (1978), p. 1 "Charges Planned against Body Politic: Obscene Books," Globe and Mail, metro ed., 4 January 1978, p. 5 "Body Politic Raided," After Stonewall, no. 5 (1978), pp. 3–4 "Body Politic Going to Court to Appeal Raid," Globe and Mail, metro ed., 2 January 1978, p. 5 Rick Bébout, Inventory of the Records of the Body Politic and Pink Triangle Press (Toronto: Canadian Gay Archives, 1988)Isabella Bardoel, "Morality Squad Searches Offices of Body Politic," Globe and Mail, metro ed., 31 December 1977, p. 4 "B.P. Raided," Metro Community News 5 (January 1978): 1–3

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Charles Templeton

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