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Gross indecency, the provision outlawing gay sex, was not removed from the Criminal Code until 1985. The change to the law regulating homosexuality was actually just a partial decriminalization. They were overwhelmingly opposed to reform, proclaiming “there is too great an erosion of our moral principles.” Echoing the idea that this is a “multi-faceted issue,” they argued, “the search by homosexuals for partners often leads to assault, theft, male prostitution and murder.”ĭespite these fears, one year later, Trudeau’s omnibus bill decriminalizing gay sex in Canada came into effect. In September 1968, as Pierre Trudeau’s government was contemplating changes to the regulation of homosexuality, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police held their annual meeting. T he key problem is that there is a long history of police unapologetically targeting men having sex with men in Toronto parks. Police Constable Kevin Ward argued that “ it is a multi-faceted issue,” linking park sex with sex offenders, drugs, and alcohol. Three months prior, Police Chief Mark Saunders issued an “apology” for the 1981 bathhouse raids, leaving many in the LGBTQ community with the belief that these targeted operations were a thing of the past.ĭespite that 95 per cent of those charged in Project Marie were men, police maintained that sexuality was not the primary factor. Last fall, members of the Toronto Police conducted a six-week undercover investigation in Marie Curtis Park called Project Marie, which concluded with 71 individuals cited for engaging in acts of consensual sex. But for queer people trying to cruise, that can mean increased police surveillance and possible criminalization. It’s the first day of spring, and that means the city’s public parks will soon fill up with Torontonians. Toronto police in Etobicoke’s Marie Curtis Park last November where LGBTQ activists gathered to protest Project Marie, a police sex sting that drew comparisons to 1981 bathhouse raids.