This is likely the case in part because a sodomy conviction required an eyewitness account, which was rarely available. Sodomy convictions were uncommon in the following decades and centuries. However, to escape the gallows, he had to become an executioner himself. Jesuits intervened on the drummer’s behalf and succeeded in having his case transferred to Québec City, There is no mention ofĪ second man being charged. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. Records show that he was charged with “crimes of the worst kind” - a euphemism commonly used for homosexual acts. It involved a military drummer stationed with a French garrison at Fort Ville-Marie, on the island of Montréal.Īt the time, the settlement was a tiny outpost of the French empire. The earliest known instance of a sodomy conviction in Canada occurred in 1648. The 17th century perjurer Titus Oates in a pillory. 'The 1969 Amendment and the (De)criminalization of Homosexuality,' by Ron Levy, Accessed June 08, 2022,
Article published NovemLast Edited November 26, 2019. 'The 1969 Amendment and the (De)criminalization of Homosexuality.' The Canadian Encyclopedia. The 1969 Amendment and the (De)criminalization of Homosexuality. The Canadian Encyclopedia, 26 November 2019, Historica Canada. 'The 1969 Amendment and the (De)criminalization of Homosexuality'.
