Canada’s PM wants to pardon gay man imprisoned for a decade

Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, wants to pardon hundreds of gay men convicted of sexual offenses before the legalization of homosexuality in 1969. The Liberal government plans to review “cases of individuals who were convicted of ‘gross indecency’ and ‘buggery,’” to see if pardons are warranted.

He is looking specifically into one case in particular. The case of Everett Klippert, whose case was instrumental in decriminalizing homosexuality.

In 1960, Everett spent four years in prison after pleading guilty to having consensual sex “short of intercourse” with other men. He was once again convicted in 1965, at which point the court declared him a dangerous sexual offender.

Court-appointed psychiatrists examined Klippert and said he was not a pedophile or inclined to violence, but would likely have sex with men again after being released. This prompted Justice John Sissons to spend the rest of his life in prison.

The Supreme Court of Canada upheld the “sex offender” designation in a 3-to-2 ruling in 1967. One month later, Justice Minister Pierre Trudeau, Justin’s father, introduced legislation that decriminalized consensual homosexual acts between adults, stating “there’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.”

But even with the new law passed, Everett sat in prison until 1971. Everett died in 1996 from kidney disease.

It’s cases like this that PM Justin wants to set right.

“As Canadians, we know that protecting and promoting fundamental human rights must be an imperative for governments and individuals alike – and this includes gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation,” the Trudeau Administration said in a statement.

“…But the fight to end discrimination is not over and a lot of hard work remains. Canadians know our country is made stronger because of our diversity, not in spite of it.”