Queer Devotions: From the Bathhouse Raids to Black Lives Matter

Queer Devotions (Bonus Episode): From the Bathhouse Raids to Black Lives Matter: 40 Years Since Brent Hawkes' Hunger Strike

Queer Devotions is pleased to present a special bonus episode of the podcast to commemorate and contextualize the 40th anniversary of RFF founder and Executive Director Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes’ hunger strike in protest of the “Operation Soap” bathhouse raids. 

In February 1981, police arrested hundreds of men at gay bathhouses in the city of Toronto, the second largest mass arrest in Canadian history. This sweeping action served to galvanize the city’s gay community and would set in motion major social change that swept beyond the downtown core and served as a key inspiration for the gay pride movement across Canada. 

In this special bonus episode, Queer Devotions speaks with Brent and asked him about what gave rise to these protests, the immediate aftermath, and the trajectory of the raids in conjunction with Black Lives Matter and calls for racial justice within the queer community. 

You can listen to this special bonus episode HERE and subscribe to Queer Devotions to ensure you never miss an update.