Queer Censorship in Toronto: The Raid on Don Franco’s Home

On two separate occasions in 1978 and 1982 police raided the offices of The Body Politic, Toronto’s queer liberation newsmagazine. In both cases, editors and staff were charged with morality based offenses related to the distribution of obscene material. These raids have been remembered as central moments in the history of queer censorship in Canada. In this paper, I will remember another moment of policing and censorship by discussing the raid of Don Franco’s home. In May 1979, a gay man named Don Franco placed an advertisement in the Body Politic seeking a sexual encounter. An undercover police agent responded to Franco’s ad and arrived at Franco’s home. After receiving a tour of Franco’s home, including a custom-built S&M dungeon in one of the bedrooms, the officer arrested Franco and charged him with keeping a common bawdy-house. Police then searched Franco’s home and took possession of various erotica and other materials, including membership lists of local political associations. Although not directly aimed at the Body Politic, the raid on Don Franco’s home must be remembered as a key moment in the history of queer censorship in Canada.