The Canadian Lesbian & Gay Archives / Materials / Records / Related documents
	Chronology from Flaunting It! 1964-1982
	1975 / Appx 950 words

Victories and defeats
A gay and lesbian chronology 1964-1982
1975

January 18-19 / Toronto

Founding conference of the Coalition for Gay Rights in Ontario (CGRO) at Don Vale Community Centre.
[In 1987 CGRO became the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Ontario / Coalition pour les droits des lesbiennes et des hommes gais en Ontario (CLGRO / CDLGO).]

January 24-25 / Montreal

Lesbian conference.
[McLeod dates this Jan 24-26; conference sponsored by Montreal Gay Women, attended by 200 to 300 delegates from Canada and the US.]

February 4 / Montreal

Police raid Sauna Aquarius and arrest thirty-six people as found-ins in common bawdyhouse.
[McLeod says 35 were charged as found-ins, the manager and two employees as "operators." Beginning of police "clean-up" for the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games; see six further entries through Jun 1976. In a page-1 story in its Aug 1976 issue, titled "Olympic Crackdown," The Body Politic recounted 18 raids in 15 months (one of them at the Club Baths in Ottawa; see May 22, 1976), resulting in more than 200 arrests.]

February 6 / Toronto

John Damien fired from job as racing steward with Ontario Racing Commission "because he's a homosexual."
[Damien's case, taken up by Toronto's Gay Alliance Toward Equality on Feb 14, would become, as Don McLeod says, "one of the most prominent gay civil rights cases in Canadian history." See also: Mar 21 and Sep 13, below; Oct 21-22, 1977; and Feb 6, 1982.]

February 28 / Vancouver

First public hearing of gay civil rights case under provincial human rights legislation: GATE vs Vancouver Sun.
[See Nov 1974.]

Spring / Fredericton, New Brunswick

Five New Brunswick dailies refuse to carry classified ad for Gay Friends of Fredericton.

March / Toronto

Ontario Human Rights Code review committee established.

March 4-20 / Ottawa

Eighteen gay men -- owner and customers of modelling agency and dating service -- arrested, charged with sexual offences in what became known as "Ottawa sex scandal." Names released by police and published by press day by day. Police allege "homosexual vice ring."

March 18 / Ottawa

Warren Zufelt, one of eighteen men arrested in "sex scandal," commits suicide by jumping from apartment building balcony after name published in press.

March 20 / [Ottawa]

Gays of Ottawa (GO) picket police station and office of Ottawa Journal to protest arrests and media coverage of arrests.

[Don McLeod's entry and references for the Ottawa Sex Scandal, the major media panic of the period, covers nearly three pages, with later entries for GO's Apr 15 complaint to the Ontario Press Council and its Aug 15 hearing; the complaint was rejected Dec 12, 1975. Don notes "excellent collections" of related material at the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, in holdings for The Body Politic (accession 89-065 / 01) and Charles Hill (82-015 / 03), who was a founder of Gays of Ottawa.]

March 21

John Damien sues Ontario Racing Commission and individuals involved in his firing. Suit filed in Ontario Supreme Court.

April / Montreal

First issue of English-language news journal, Gay Times, published.
[Ceased publication in early 1976, after 8 issues.]

May / Toronto

Issue 18 of The Body Politic ordered off stands by Metro Toronto Police's Morality Squad because of a graphic cartoon called "Harold Hedd," depicting two men engaged in fellatio.

June 9 / Toronto

GATE representatives appear before Parliamentary Committee on Green Paper on Immigration to call for dropping of all references to homosexuality in Immigration Act. Participate in demonstration outside Park Plaza Hotel. Gay groups make similar presentations across the country throughout the year.
[McLeod records this major movement effort in more than 15 entries from Jan to Nov 1975. See Nov 6, below.]

June 27-30 / Ottawa

National Gay Rights Conference sees formation of National Gay Rights Coalition.
[McLeod gives the closing date as Jul 1. The coalition was renamed the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Rights Coalition / Coalition canadienne pour les droits des lesbiennes et des gais (CLGRC / CCDLG) in 1978. It was disbanded two years later: see Jun 27, 1980.]

July 4-7 / Winnipeg

Formation of the New Democratic Party Gay Caucus at NDP national convention.

September [22] / Saskatoon

Doug Wilson, graduate student in education at University of Saskatchewan, is prevented from practice teaching because he was publicly active in gay movement. President of the university calls it a "managerial decision." Defence committee is set up to press for Wilson's reinstatement.

September 13 / Toronto

Large gay rights march calls for reinstatement of John Damien and the inclusion of sexual orientation in human rights code. Sponsored by Coalition for Gay Rights in Ontario.

October / Toronto

First issue of Esprit, a gay publication for men and women.
[McLeod dates first issue to Sep 24. Third and last issue published in Jan 1976.]

October 17-18 / Montreal

Five gay bars raided by police.
[Named in McLeod: The Lime Light; Le Mystique; P.J.'s; Le Rocambole; and Au Taureau d'Or.]

October 31 / Montreal

Police raid two more bars, including Baby Face, popular lesbian bar.

November 6 / [Ottawa]

Special Joint Committee on Immigration Policy recommends that homosexuals no longer be prohibited from entering Canada under revised Immigration Act.
[McLeod reports in his corresponding entry that "The Immigration Act, 1976, which removed the prohibition against homosexuals, was passed into law on July 25, 1977." See also Apr 1, 1978 in this chronology.]

November 9 / Saskatoon

Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission rules that "sex" in Human Rights Act includes sexual orientation. Begins formal proceeding against University of Saskatchewan for discriminating against teacher Doug Wilson (see September 1975). University seeks court injunction to prevent inquiry.

November 11 / Ottawa

Two members of Gays of Ottawa lay wreath at National War Memorial. First time gays allowed to participate in ceremony.