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Mayor Chow and Heritage Toronto commemorate 45th anniversary of the 2SLGBTQ+ Bathhouse Raids

New plaque to commemorate this landmark event

Mayor Olivia Chow alongside Councillor Chris Moise, Heritage Toronto, and community leaders commemorated the 45th anniversary of the 1981 Bathhouse Raids, a pivotal moment in Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ history. A new historical plaque will be installed during Pride Month in June 2026.

The plaque will recognize the lasting impact of the Bathhouse Raids of February 5, 1981.The community response to the raids was a turning point in the fight for 2SLGBTQ+ rights in Toronto and across Canada. Today’s commemoration highlights the courage and strength of a generation of leaders and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

On that day in 1981, Toronto police carried out coordinated raids on four downtown gay bathhouses. The police action was the largest mass arrest in Toronto's history and epitomized homophobic attitudes of the time. While most charges were eventually withdrawn or dismissed, the raids caused lasting trauma and public shaming for those affected.

The announcement took place at The 519, a city-run community centre committed to the health, happiness, and full participation of 2SLGBTQ+ communities. Following the Bathhouse Raids, The 519 played a key role by hosting meetings and fundraisers that supported community organizing across Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

Heritage Toronto's Plaques program is one of the largest and most active historical plaque initiatives in the world, with more than 950 plaques installed across the city. In recent years, approximately half of new plaques have highlighted histories connected to equity-deserving communities, helping ensure Toronto’s public spaces reflect the full diversity of its story.

Funding for the project comes from Councillor Chris Moise’s Section 37 allocation. More details about the installation, including the exact location and timing, will be shared closer to Pride Month 2026.

The raids sparked widespread protests and galvanized 2SLGBTQ+ community organizing, as well as establishing the first Pride Day and parade that year. This history helped shape Toronto’s modern Pride movement and the vision for a more inclusive city.

QUOTES

"The Bathhouse Raids were a painful and unjust moment in Toronto’s history, but the community response that followed helped reshape our city. The organizing, advocacy, and solidarity that emerged strengthened human rights and helped build Toronto into a caring city that strives to deliver for all Torontonians. This plaque makes sure that history, and the people who changed it, are never forgotten."

Mayor Olivia Chow

"The Bathhouse Raids were one of the most painful chapters in Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ community’s history, and this plaque is another step in the direction of truth and reconciliation by our city in acknowledging the past, working with our community, and vowing to do better."

Councillor Chris Moise

"This plaque will be a permanent commemoration of a watershed moment in Canada’s 2SLGBTQ+ history which became a catalyst for the broader social justice movement. This work also reflects our ongoing commitment to create a balance throughout our Plaques program that reflects the diversity of Toronto’s stories."

Allison Bain, Executive Director, Heritage Toronto

"In the aftermath of the Bathhouse Raids, The 519 hosted meetings and fundraisers that shaped the growing and more vocal queer liberation movement in our city. In commemorating 45 years since the police raids here in The 519, we are acknowledging the integral role of The 519 in the community response to the raids. That’s a legacy we are proud to see continued today. The 519 is marking its own milestone this year, our 50^th anniversary. As we reflect on our shared community history, we know that progress isn’t linear or sustained without continued community effort. We invite our community to join us in shaping what comes next."

Tom Spence, Chair, The 519