Remembering the 1981 Toronto bathhouse raids

Here’s what some of the men caught up in the raids experienced on that pivotal night, and in the protests after

By Lito Howse • February 5, 2021 10:00 am EDT

In 1981, Toronto police raided bathhouses in the city’s gay village and arrested more than 300 men. It was at the time the largest mass arrest in Toronto’s history, but the raids were just another in a long line of police operations targeting LGBTQ2S+ people and institutions in Canada.

Thousands of people rallied in Toronto the night after the raids, demanding an end to police harassment and that the charges against the men be dropped.

The protests marked a turning point for many in the LGBTQ2S+ community: “The demonstration—that’s where I think the lights went on for so many people,” activist and former Body Politic reporter Tim McCaskell tells Xtra. “They suddenly realized, ‘Shit, we’re powerful! We can do something about this!’”

More From This Contributor

Lito Howse (they/them) is a queer and trans/non-binary identified videographer, editor and producer based in Toronto. They previously worked for the CBC where they wrote TV stories, edited and control room produced for News Network. They also produced videos for CBC Radio and wrote web articles for shows like The Current and As It Happens, among other roles. They speak English.

Read More About:

Power, Activism, Video, Queer History

Keep Reading

Actors Ian McKellen and James Laurenson in 'Edward II', which featured the first gay kiss on British television

We've Been Here

The history of the first gay kiss on British TV

In 1970, Sir Ian McKellen and James Laurenson made history with a kiss in a filmed production of “Edward II”

Censorship

FCC explores adding warning labels for trans content on TV

The U.S. government agency is taking comments on whether television ratings should be updated to signal “controversial gender identity issues”

On the left, Jason Collins on the cover of Sports Illustrated coming out as gay. On the right, a photo of Collins playing for the Brooklyn Nets.

We've Been Here

Remembering Jason Collins, the gay NBA player who changed the game

The late trailblazer made history when he came out in 2013

Senior Director for Counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka speaks during the Semafor World Economy Summit.

Politics

U.S. counterterrorism strategy takes aim at ‘pro-transgender’ groups

The Trump administration’s updated counterterrorism strategy targets “left-wing extremists” and groups who are “radically pro-transgender”