On Monday, April 11, I attended a news conference led by lawyer Douglas Elliott and LGBT activist Rachel Lauren Clark in support of Reverend Brent Hawkes, a prominent advocate within Canada's LGBT community. The news conference was called to announce the establishment of the Brent Hawkes Support Fund.
Hawkes has been the pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto for the past 38 years, and it was there that he performed the first same-sex marriage ceremonies in Canada, a bold step that led directly to the Canada-wide legalization of same-sex marriage in 2005. He became the first openly gay man to receive an appointment to the Order of Canada in 2007 for his work in social justice circles and human rights.
On February 1, Hawkes was charged by the RCMP in Kentville, Nova Scotia, with gross indecency and indecent assault of a male. The charges date back to incidents that allegedly took place in the 1970s. Hawkes has entered a plea of not guilty. He says, "I want to be crystal clear: I am innocent of these allegations. The purported events simply did not occur." The charges are set to go to trial in November.
If the case proceeds, it is certain to draw attention for a variety of reasons beyond Hawkes's profile. (more...)
Whatever happened to "Rape is Rape"?
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