BY ANDREA HOUSTON – Valentine’s Day isn’t the only holiday celebrated today. It’s also Pink Triangle Day, marking a major legal victory for the queer liberation movement and press freedom in Canada.
Thirty-three years ago, The Body Politic’s Ed Jackson, Gerald Hannon and Ken Popert were acquitted of indecency charges stemming from the article “Men Loving Boys Loving Men,” published in the December 1977/January 1978 issue.
On his Facebook wall Hannon writes, “I, along with friends and colleagues Ed Jackson and Ken Popert, were acquitted, after a 10-day sensational trial, on charges of immorality and indecency. The provocation? Men Loving Boys Loving Men, an article I’d written for The Body Politic (then a source of outrage, it’s now on a course of study at U of T). We’d go on to be tried a second time on the same charges, and acquitted a second time. The day still stands as one of the earliest victories in the gay movement’s struggle against censorship. So, wish me Happy Pink Triangle Day — I am so over Valentine’s!”
At the 1979 annual meeting of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Rights Coalition, delegates unanimously passed a resolution declaring Feb 14 Pink Triangle Day.
“It was — and is — our gift, not just to our own communities but to every other Canadian, demonstrating that we can fight back and win against the powerful forces that seek to limit what we say and what we see,” PTP executive director Ken Popert has said.
To help queer Canadians celebrate, Xtra has Pink Triangle Day cards available online for your mailing and emailing pleasure. Just print out the paper card version, fold and add your message or email the .jpeg version to friends and lovers.
The cards – here and here – are designed by Pink Triangle Press’s staff artist John Webster.
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