‘Truxx Bar Raids’ Turning Point in Gay Liberation Movement
Kelsee Makuch
Kelsee Makuch
The 70’s in Montreal was an
important time for the LGBTQ community, since the gay liberation movement was
on the rise in a society that continued to view gays and lesbians as deviant
and morally wrong. An article that was featured in the Montreal Gazette titled “Homosexuals
fighting back after raid”[i], written by
Joel Ruimy in 1977, features the story of a raid that took place at Truxx
Cruising Bar, a bar known for hosting the LGBTQ community. The article is two
full columns long and has three subtitles: “New mood”, “20 to a cell”, and “
‘No warning’ ”[ii]. This
article depicts the ways in which the LGBTQ community was policed and
maltreated, as well as how the community was fighting for recognition and basic
human rights. We can see through the work that two social scripts were facing
off during these raids. On one hand, the police force, representing societies’
rigid and unaccepting views of the gay and lesbian community, and on the other
hand, the LGBTQ community, embodying a new way of identifying with sex and
gender. The raid at Truxx Cruising Bar was a pivotal turning point in the gay
liberation movement that contributed to a change in discourse surrounding the
LGBTQ community and helped them to be recognized as a group of people in need
of equal human rights.
In the late 70’s, the gay liberation
movement was on the rise and policies and discourses surrounding the LGBTQ
community were starting to change. However, society continued to police,
maltreat and oppress this community in various forms. More specifically, we can
see this with the bar raids, which were considered to be “the biggest mass
arrest since the crisis of October 1970”[iii].
The article also describes the many police officers that were carrying machine
guns as they ambushed the Truxx Cruising Bar in an effort to respond to
“allegations about the activities happening inside the club”[iv].
Bar owners Salvaggio and Rovolis responded by saying “you think that if I saw
two guys doing that on the floor I’d let them continue? I’d throw them out”[v].
In addition, police officials stated they had given the bar notice for the
raids. Again, the bar owners denied this, saying they were at the bar every
night and no one had come to give them any warning about the raids. Thus,
proving that the allegations the police force were following up on were most
likely fictitious and that the raids were used as a way to further oppress,
maltreat and scare the LGBTQ community. Furthermore, the article describes how
those who were arrested were then shoved into cells, originally designed for 2
people, in groups of 20 men. When asked to give a reasoning for this, an
official gave this explanation: “It was a big crowd and it takes time to
process that many guys”[vi]. This
excuse is one that shows that police officials did not care to treat the LGBTQ
community like right-bearing citizens; instead they herded them like cattle. Moreover,
the article states that “All were given venereal disease tests by city health
officers”[vii].
The above mentioned examples prove that police officials, who are usually seen
as a symbol of righteousness in society, believed that this community was
morally wrong, sinful and in need of testing due to stigmatization of this
community. The police were acting as “moral police” telling people what they
should and should not be doing.
Ruimy interviewed Eric Hill, who
he described as the following: “37, wears a suit and tie, and likes to enjoy a
few quiet beers in the evening with his buddies. Until recently, he also had a
dark secret that he shared only with his closest friends”[viii].
The way in which the author writes about Eric demonstrates that he is an
individual like everyone else who takes pleasure in simple leisurely
activities. On the other hand, the author’s mentioning of a “dark secret”
indicates that at that time, sexual orientation was something that one should
keep hidden away. During Eric’s interview, he describes “the new mood of the
city’s homosexuals”[ix], and claims
that hundreds of gays affected by the raids are “prepared to publicly denounce
the arrest, detention and legal charges against about 140 patrons”[x].
Eric, as well as other members of this community, are speaking out and object
the arrests, showing that they are not afraid to come forward anymore. In the
article, spokesperson Claude Beaulieu, president of the Association pour la
protection des gai(e)s du Quebec (APGQ), denounced the raid, “Saying police
needlessly endangered the lives of innocent bystanders by brandishing machine
guns”[xi].
This also represents the climate of fear that individuals who identify as LGBTQ
lived in during these years, where many gays and lesbians lost their lives
through police interference. It is important to note that at that time, the
APGQ had only existed for one year. Therefore, although this community began to
gain recognition and associations were being founded in order to protect these
individuals, government bodies like the Human Rights Commission were still not
on board with LGBTQ matters at that time. Nevertheless, the creation of associations
like the APGQ marked an acknowledgement that treating people unjustly was not
acceptable anymore, and there was a new need to protect these vulnerable
individuals.
Joanne Meyerowitz’ book titled How Sex Changed, looks at how discourse about sex has been changing
and evolving through the years. She examines how Christine Jorgensen was the
first woman to be publicly addressed in the media for her sex change. This came
at a time where society was starting to adopt “more liberal attitudes towards
individual choice”[xii]. This then
gave rise to discussions about sex in the medical field gaining more prominence.
Meyerowitz’ writing demonstrates that media plays an important role in societal
discourse around significant issues. Looking at the article in the Gazette, we
can see how the LGBTQ community was being affected by bar raids displayed in
the media, which gave those issues widespread attention. Drawing a parallel
with Jorgensen’s highly publicized case, we can see how these examples paved
the way for the LGBT community to feel empowered to fight back and speak up
about their realities. Ruimy states that the APDG “has pledged to study the
possibility of common legal defence and perhaps court action of its own”,[xiii]
as well as “Officials of the Quebec Human Rights Commission and the Civil
Liberations Union have assigned staffers to examine the case though both have
refused to take a position”[xiv]. This shows
that discourse began shifting in society; the media started portraying the gay
community differently, saying that they have a right to be enraged after the
raids. Important officials like the Human Rights Commission were starting to
get involved and recognized the LGBTQ community as a real society. At the end
of the article, it says that “homosexual organisations have accepted the figure
offered by sex researcher Dr. Alfred Kinsey that 10 per cent of North Americas
– 280,000 men and women in Montreal – are homosexual”[xv].
The media’s advertising of the figures offered by a sex researcher gave more
legitimacy to the community, continuing to advance the discourse about the
LGBTQ away from being sinful and morally wrong.
In conclusion, the Truxx Cruising Bar raid was a critical
moment in the gay liberation movement that contributed to a change in discourse,
as well as the recognition of the LGBTQ community as a legitimate group of
people in need of protection and basic human rights. The bar raids represent
the ways in which the LGBTQ community were and continue to be the subject of
discrimination and oppression. However, the raids were used in the media as a
platform to continue the conversation on sex and gender identity, moving away from
the belief that gays are mentally ill and that sexual orientation is a personal
decision that should not be interfered with by police. Although these raids
provided an opportunity to the LGBT community to fight back and be recognized
as human, this would prove to be just the beginning for this community, as they
continue to fight for equal representation even today.
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