George Everett Klippert (September 6, 1926 – August 7, 1996) was the last person in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
to be arrested, charged, prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned for gross indecency before the decriminalization of homosexual acts in 1969; the reform was a direct result of the Klippert case.
Klippert, originally from
Kindersley
Kindersley is a town surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Kindersley No. 290 in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located along Highway 7, a primary highway linking Calgary, Alberta and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. At a population of 4,59 ...
,
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
. In 1960 he was convicted on eighteen charges of gross indecency and sentenced to four years' imprisonment. Upon his release, he moved to northern Canada. He was working as a
mechanic
A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars.
Duties
Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...
in Pine Point, Northwest Territories, in 1965 when he was picked up by police for questioning in connection with a case of suspected arson. Although he was found not to have had any involvement in the fire, Klippert voluntarily admitted to having had recent consensual homosexual relations with four different adult men. He was subsequently arrested and charged with four counts of "gross indecency".
A court-ordered psychiatrist assessed Klippert as "incurably homosexual", and Klippert was sentenced to "preventive detention" (that is, indefinitely) as a dangerous sexual offender. Klippert appealed to the
Court of Appeal for the Northwest Territories
The Court of Appeal for the Northwest Territories in Canada is the highest appellate court which hears appeals from criminal cases and civil cases of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories.
The Court consists of a Chief Justice and justic ...
; his appeal was dismissed. He then appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada; his appeal was dismissed on November 7, 1967, in a controversial 3–2 decision.
The day after Klippert's conviction was upheld, New Democratic Party leader
Tommy Douglas
Thomas Clement Douglas (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and Leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Baptist min ...
invoked Klippert's name in the House of Commons of Canada, stating that "homosexuality is a social and psychiatric problem rather than a criminal one", and asking Prime Minister
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian scholar, statesman, diplomat, and politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968.
Born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of ...
if he would consider setting up a commission to study the issue, similar to the
Wolfenden Committee
The Report of the Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution (better known as the Wolfenden report, after Sir John Wolfenden, the chairman of the committee) was published in the United Kingdom on 4 September 1957 after a suc ...
in Britain which brought in "enlightened and humane recommendations for coping with this problem." The Prime Minister replied that he would be very glad to consider that matter. Douglas followed up with a second question, asking the Minister of Justice, Pierre Trudeau, if this matter was being considered by officials in the Department of Justice. Trudeau replied that "one aspect of this matter is being looked at in the context of another law." Within six weeks, Pierre Trudeau presented the '' Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1968-69'' (Bill C-150 of 1968), an
omnibus bill
An omnibus bill is a proposed law that covers a number of diverse or unrelated topics. ''Omnibus'' is derived from Latin and means "to, for, by, with or from everything". An omnibus bill is a single document that is accepted in a single vote by a ...
which, among other things, decriminalized homosexual acts between consenting adults. The law passed, and homosexual acts between consenting adults were decriminalized in Canada in 1969.
Klippert remained in prison until his release on July 21, 1971. He lived 25 more years before his death from kidney disease in 1996.
In 2016 the government of
Justin Trudeau
Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', February 27, 2016. On November 18, 2020, an expungement order was issued by the
Parole Board of Canada
The Parole Board of Canada (french: Commission des libérations conditionnelles du Canada; formerly known as the National Parole Board) is the Canadian government agency that is responsible for reviewing and issuing parole and criminal pardons i ...
.Everett Klippert Coda at the Calgary Gay History Project; published March 11, 2021; retrieved May 15, 2022
In 2018, Klippert's life became the topic of the stage play ''Legislating Love: The Everett Klippert Story'',by Calgary playwright Natalie Meisner. by Michelle Bodnar, at
Mount Royal University
Mount Royal University (MRU) is a public university in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
History
Mount Royal University was founded by Alberta provincial charter by the Arthur Sifton government on December 16, 1910 and officially opened on September 8, ...
; published March 20, 2018; retrieved May 15, 2022
See also
*
Gay rights in Canada
Canadian lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are some of the most extensive in the world. Same-sex sexual activity was made lawful in Canada on June 27, 1969, when the '' Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1968–69'' (also known ...
Bibliography
*
Pierre Berton
Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton, CC, O.Ont. (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004) was a Canadian writer, journalist and broadcaster. Berton wrote 50 best-selling books, mainly about Canadiana, Canadian history and popular culture. He also wr ...
: ''1967: The Last Good Year'': Toronto: Doubleday Canada: 1997:
*
Gary Kinsman
Gary William Kinsman (born 1955) is a Canadian sociologist. Born in Toronto, he is one of Canada's leading academics on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.Gross Indecency: The Everett Klippert Story on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...