News Slant	News Slant Archive

Last month's Guide reported on a raid last May at Taboo, a Montreal male dance club. Taboo reopened immediately after the massive police "descent." Some thought the gay community would be silent because young men dance for older men. "Police played on the prejudice against 'dirty old men,'" according to Andre Gagnon, editor of the gay monthlies, Être and To Be. "The police were conscious of the prejudice about age. They tried to link this with a recent Quebec City crackdown on underage female prostitutes-- a ridiculous comparison."

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The Gay Archives of Quebec marched in the August 5th Divers/Cité gay pride parade with banners denouncing the raid, comparing it to earlier raids in gay history. One of Taboo's new owners, Claude Auger, joined the Archive with a car and three Taboo dancers. "The situation is already better for Taboo," Auger says, "and our name will be cleared. I think the police clearly made a mistake."

"Doing something political made me much more nervous than taking off my clothes in public," says Damien, an 18-year-old dancer who joined the parade. "I felt good that people along the parade clapped for us-- even the women!"

Estimates are that some 800,000 watched the parade, making it one of the world's largest.

The first hearing for dancers and the three customers arrested was August 8th. Those with lawyers pled not guilty and others will do so with lawyers arranged by Taboo. At the next hearing for dancers and customers October 20th, and at the September hearing for staff, lawyers will demand charges be dropped based on police misconduct and lack of evidence. A defense committee is being organized by members of La Table, the Archives, and others. One of those involved is André Faivre, co-leader of the defendants' committee in the last raid in Montreal in 1994 at KOX. "The current case shows that the gay leadership did not follow up on their past experience with police," says Faivre. "The Taboo raid was an extreme over-reaction to very minor problems. It ignores the positive impact that Taboo has had on dancers and customers these past 11 years."

The dancers and customers are charged with "being in a bawdy house" (house of prostitution), but a few are also charged with "public indecent acts" such as genital touching. All of these charges in Canada (unlike most US jurisdictions) are minor morals offenses, carrying only small fines and no criminal record. La Table now has a mandate to challenge the "bawdy house" laws and is forming a committee to pursue the issue.

"I was happy with the support," said Pierre, one of the dancers arrested. "People surrounded us with help."

"I have little doubt in light of the quality of legal counsel and the community support, the charges will be dropped," Archive secretary Louis Godbout commented.

"We're still Taboo!" says Claude Auger. Montreal's other male dancer clubs, L'Adonis, Campus, Le Stock, and West Side, are also flourishing.