November 7, 1967 - Everett Klippert - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

Supreme Court of Canada upholds decision to imprison a homosexual as a "dangerous sex offender." Everett George Klippert unwittingly woke Canadians up to injustices against homosexuals, and inspired Pierre Trudeau’s famous quote, “The state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation.” On the morning of August 16, 1965, when RCMP officers in Pine Point, Northwest Territories happened to speak to Klippert, he openly revealed his homosexuality, and mentioned he’d been sexually involved with a number of men during his adult life. They arrested him and the next day, in Hay River, he was charged with four counts of gross indecency under section 149 of the criminal code. Days later, he was sentenced to three years in prison, and on a subsequent charge, was declared a dangerous sexual offender to be held in prison indefinitely. Even on a final appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against Klippert on November 7, 1967. Despite the court’s majority opinion, many Canadians were shocked. Klippert’s case alerted them to injustices against homosexuals. Pierre Trudeau, who was justice minister at the time, responded to the case with his famous quote. He added, “I think that what's done in private between adults doesn't concern the criminal code.” The Liberal government passed Bill C-150, which decriminalized “gross indecency” and “buggery” if sexual relations were committed in private between two consenting adults over the age of 21. Ironically, even as the laws changed, Klippert remained imprisoned. Not until July 20, 1971 was Klippert released on parole. Over time, many other Canadian laws concerning gay men and lesbians were liberalized, especially after the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into effect. By the summer of 2005, Canada was the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, after the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.

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