Toronto's Bathhouse Raids, 1981

The first three interviews here are from an oral history project conducted in 1982 to collect the stories of men who were arrested as "found-ins" on the night of the raids. The interviewer asks the men about their sexuality and identity, the degree to which they are "out," and their involvement in gay culture through bars and bathhouses. They then discuss the events on the night of the raids, including the verbal and physical violence inflicted by police and the reasons given for their arrest. Interviewees also describe the trial and its aftermath and reflect more broadly on the implications of the raids and the role of sexuality in Canadian society. 

The fourth interview is from a similar project that Michael Lynch of The Body Politic started to document oral histories of the raids, but which was not seen to completion. This anonymous interview remains as a record of the project.