Witch Hunt at the Strand examines the importance of freedom

In 21st century society, the persecution of gays leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths. It makes most civilized individuals uncomfortable, especially since the popular mantra taught from grade school is one of tolerance.

As Canadians, we like to think we’re enlightened. But only a few decades ago, the Edmonton police force and the justice system rounded up, persecuted and prosecuted gay men from the theatre community for leading fairly quiet, private lives.

The time was 1942, one of Edmonton’s darkest moments for homosexual men in Western Canadian history after a string of men were arrested and 37 charges of gross indecency were laid.

Based on archival material, witness statements and actual court transcripts, award-winning playwright Darrin Hagen recreates Witch Hunt at the Strand, a powerful history lesson reminding us that bigotry and prejudice still lingers today.

“It all started in 1941 when a gay man Donald McCallum moved to Edmonton and put an ad in the paper something to the effect of ‘young man seeks friendship.’ It must have been some sort of code. Ultimately, he met people in the queer theatre community,” said Hagen, one of Edmonton’s most knowledgeable queer historians.

In a moral panic, the law and order sheriffs of the day, both local police and RCMP, were alerted to the advertisement. They formed a dragnet operation targeting the homosexual community and arrested about 10 men.

Some were high profile individuals such as Harvey Kagna, board president of the Edmonton Little Theatre Movement and Atha Andrewe, conductor of Empire Opera.

Gay men felt safe socializing and participating in the theatre and the arts community. However, the public’s perception was that showbiz was filled with misfits, prostitutes, thieves, grifters and people of questionable morals.

“The homosexual was thought of as sad, lonely, homeless. They moved like ghosts through history. It was all about keeping it a secret. The official position was to put them in an insane asylum until they were cured or undergo chemical castration. It was against the law and if they got caught their life was over,” Hagen explained.

During the raids, police were searching for “a ring of vice, a network of deviants.” To make matters worse homosexuals and pedophiles were considered to be one and the same.

As Hagen read court transcripts, many from provincial archives, he was surprised at the vulgar language used by learned men at the time. In the ’40s terms such as oral sex, anal sex and sexual assault did not exist.

“During the trial, they said ‘corn hole,’ and ‘sucking him off.’ Those are Grade 4 schoolyard taunts. They clearly didn’t have another language to discuss the events.”

The indecency charges laid by police and fuelled by newspapers ruined the lives of many men, their friends and families.

“Suddenly it seems important to remember hard-fought equal rights. After following the election down south, you realize that with the stroke of a pen, freedom can be taken away.”

Witch Hunt at the Strand runs Nov. 23 to Dec. 4 at the Backstage Theatre.