Canada got its “gross indecency” law five years after Britain did. The law was imported by an eager young law-and-order type named Sir John Thompson, who was at that time Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Prime Minister John A. MacDonald.
Thompson is a fairly important figure in Canadian legal history – [...]
Archive for the ‘laws’ Category
The Gross Indecency Law in Canada
Posted in Dominion of Canada, gay/bi men's history, history, laws on May 29, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Reflections on Early Canada, part 3: The Invention of “Gross Indecency” Laws in Britain
Posted in Dominion of Canada, gay/bi men's history, history, laws on April 20, 2008 | 3 Comments »
When Kulenthiram Amirthalingam returned to his native Malaysia from Canada to visit his boyfriend of 12 years in 2003, he was harassed by the other man’s family. They soon got the police involved.
Amirthalingam was held in jail for five days. There he was beaten, held underfoot, and sexually harassed by the [...]
Canada Bans Organ Donation by Men who Have Sex with Men
Posted in laws, politics on January 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Health Canada has decided to exclude gay men from donating organs. Here’s a the story.
It’s my understanding that we cannot even give an organ to a friend or relative under Health Canada’s recommendation — though some hospitals are saying they’ll ignore the ban. This joins the ban on gay blood and gay sperm. [...]
The End to the Death Penalty for “Sodomy” in Canada
Posted in British North America, Dominion of Canada, gay/bi men's history, history, laws on September 9, 2007 | 2 Comments »
Looking over the political debates of the 19th century, it’s hard not to conclude that Canada’s laws specifying the death penalty for homosexuality died with a whimper instead of a bang.
As I mentioned in a previous article, no one has ever found a case in Canada that ended in execution for a consensual homosexual act. [...]
Reflections on New France, part 1
Posted in New France, gay/bi men's history, history, laws on June 15, 2007 | 4 Comments »
Reconstructing LGBT history is difficult at the best of time. Historically, homosexuality has been seen as “the worst of sins,” “the nameless vice,” and “the unmentionable crime.” It is rarely spoken of, and then in whispers and euphemisms, until very recently.
Historians use mostly court records, newspapers, and private journals to sketch out the [...]
