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A “Christian commando” who infiltrated the Toronto Pride parade a decade ago as a “Gay Zombie” and distributed 3,000 homophobic flyers has been found guilty of promoting hate against gay men.
Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy found Bill Whatcott wilfully promoted hatred in his gleeful distribution of nasty, bigoted leaflets in his self-described “spiritual war” to “strike against the dark forces” of gay pride.
“Looking at the whole picture, Mr. Whatcott, by his actions, has demonstrated a deep animus towards members of the gay community, notwithstanding his testimony that he wants only to save their souls by having them repent their sins. He is far from a simple Christian missionary seeking to convert sinners. He is an activist and an attention seeker. He loves the spectacle of what he did. He enjoyed the attention and he continues to do so,” the judge wrote in her ruling released Wednesday.
“Many of the things included in his flyer standing alone are merely offensive and would not amount to hate. However, the combined effect of the whole flyer, the length to which Mr. Whatcott went to deliver his “message,” the range of people he gave it to and his gloating after the fact all support my ultimate finding that his intention in handing out the flyers at the parade was to vilify gay men. He knew that would be the effect of his actions.”
The conviction for the former nurse and current Calgary school bus driver comes after his 2021 acquittal was overturned and a new trial ordered by the Court of Appeal because the judge excluded testimony from an expert on anti-gay discrimination.
‘Christian agenda’
The self-proclaimed “political activist with a Christian agenda” admitted using a fake name to register his fictitious “Gay Zombie Cannabis Consumers Association” to march in the parade with a fake mission to encourage safe sex. Instead, he and six of his followers dressed in skin-tight lime green bodysuits and masks with rainbow accessories to distribute vile anti-gay flyers: there were photos of a “grotesque male anus” with warts next to statistics on HPV and other diseases “homosexuals are at a high risk of acquiring.”
There was also photo of a supposed AIDS fatality and a warning that “many homosexuals falsely believe that sodomy is safe with the advancement of anti-retroviral therapy,” as well as statements such as “Disease, death, and confusion are the sad and sordid realities of the homosexual lifestyle.” Another page was devoted to political leaders and claims they’d been co-opted into advancing the gay community’s “perverted” agenda.
Molloy found the content portrayed gay men as immoral and a danger to children. “It is thinly disguised scare-mongering and loaded with toxic imagery,” she wrote. “The overall message is one of vilification.
“I find there is a clear tone of hatred.”
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And the longtime anti-gay activist knew exactly what he was doing: In 2005, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal fined Whatcott $17,500 for dropping his gay-hating pamphlets in people’s mailboxes. In 2013, the Supreme Court upheld the finding that Whatcott’s flyers, with its references to “filth”, “dirty”, “degenerated” and “sex addicts,” propagated hatred.
“Notwithstanding this finding from the Supreme Court, Mr. Whatcott again portrayed gay men as child abusers and predators in his 2016 flyer,” Molloy wrote.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for next month.
mmandel@postmedia.com