# The Raids of Bigotry: Operation Soap

An episode of [Canadian History Ehx](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1437838013), 17 Jun 2025, 38 min.

Audio: https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/CORU5054325942.mp3?updated=1749409698

It is Pride Month and throughout this month I have stories of Canada's LGBTQ history. Today, it is the story of Operation Soap. The largest mass arrest in Canadian history to that point, it involved 150 Toronto police officers raiding four gay bathhouses in the city in 1981. The protests that event launched created the modern day Pride Week in Toronto. Clips courtesy of the podcast Whatever Happened To: https://curiouscast.ca/podcast/822/whatever-happened-to/ ORDER MY FIRST HISTORY BOOK! CANADA'S MAIN STREET: https://sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/canadas-main-street/ Donate: buymeacoffee.com/craigu Donate: canadaehx.com (Click Donate) Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merch: https://www.ohcanadashop.com/collections/canadian-history-ehx Hello Fresh: HelloFresh.ca/CHEHX E-mail: craig@canadaehx.com Twitter: twitter.com/craigbaird Threads: https://www.threads.net/@cdnhistoryehx Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cdnhistoryehx YouTube: youtube.com/c/canadianhistoryehx Want to send me something? Craig Baird PO Box 2384 Stony Plain PO Main, Alberta T7Z1X8 *sources* • Canadian Encyclopedia: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/toronto-feature-bathhouse-raids • Canadian Pride Historical Society: https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/toronto-feature-bathhouse-raids • Arquives: https://arquives.ca/operation-soap/ • Xtra Magazine: https://xtramagazine.com/power/toronto-bathhouse-raids-40-years-194590 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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