by MATTHEW HAYS

Montreal gay activists say they’re extremely unhappy with the police action of almost two weeks ago, when the popular Village strip joint Taboo was raided.

The May 9 raid led to 34 arrests on charges of indecent acts and being found in a bawdy house. Four clients were arrested, as were seven managers and 23 dancers. The police stated they were responding to complaints that underage dancers were being employed and that indecent acts were taking place in a back room. The raid was the end result of an investigation that began in January, one that looked into goings-on at several gay strip clubs in the neighbourhood. According to MUC spokesperson Constable Miguel Alston, Taboo was the only strip club in which undercover police officers saw repeated violations of the law.

But one of the strippers who’s been charged, a student at a Montreal university, has told the Mirror a different story. Speaking on condition of anonymity, John (not his real name), who will have to face the charge of being in a common bawdy house in court on August 8, says he and other strippers were “shocked” at 10:40 p.m. when about 40 police officers entered Taboo, began snapping photos and told the strippers to put their clothes on and sit down. People in the establishment were photographed again and questioned extensively for over three and a half hours.

“Their questions were weird,” says John. “They were asking how many times your dick gets erect on stage, and if you touch the clients, and about sex in the back.”

John says he and others were surprised by the raid because police had already been visiting Taboo, often more than once in a given evening, on Fridays and Saturdays (the busiest nights).

“They had come through and warned management that they didn’t always like what they were seeing. So management told us in no uncertain terms that there was to be no touching and no sex between the clients and strippers.”

John says the charge that underage people work at Taboo is also bogus. He acknowledges that many of the dancers look young, but points to the fact that only one minor was found on the premises (a 17-year-old dancer) as evidence that police suspicions were overblown.

As well, John confiirms rumours were circulating among strippers that there were originally five clients who were to be charged, but say police appeared to let one man go because of political connections. Constable Alston staunchly denies this, saying 70 customers were let go and four were charged because they were directly involved in indecent acts. Alston says no one was let go for any connections they may or may not have had.

Arrested development

Tom Waugh, a gay activist and Concordia professor, says the raid is “a complete regression” in terms of minority relations with the police. “This act represents a case of police power that is unaccountable and arbitrary. The police are in denial about the evolution of relations between police and gays. They have used this underage charge as an excuse for getting away with murder.”

Waugh says the raid constitutes an intimidation tactic and argues it marks another low point in police-gay relations, citing also 1990’s Sex Garage raid (in which gay and lesbian party revellers were arrested at a private function) and 1994’s KOX raid, in which over 100 gay men were arrested at a popular Village gay nightspot. He also says that, taken with last year’s police raid on a Calgary bathhouse, this may constitute a national trend of worsening police-gay relations.

Gay activists suggest that if police are hearing complaints about illegal behaviour in the Village they should simply contact community leaders who can address the problem.

“There are far simpler ways to deal with situations of this sort,” says Michael Hendricks, an activist who helped to negotiate a working relationship between gays and police during the spate of homophobic murders that plagued Montreal in the mid-’90s. “These are victimless crimes and the community has proven its ability to police itself.”

John, who is now seeking out legal assistance, couldn’t agree more. “I only hope I don’t end up with a criminal record.”

As for Taboo itself, the show goes on. The club reopened for business the night following the raid.