The 1981 Toronto bathhouse raids marked a major turning point in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community in Canada. On February 5, 1981, at 11:00 PM, police in Toronto raided four gay bathhouses. More than three hundred men were arrested, the largest mass arrest in Canada since the 1970 October crisis. Several Toronto bathhouses had previously been raided, and other raids followed. Mass protests and rallies were held denouncing the incident. These evolved into Toronto's current Gay Pride Week, which is now one of the world's largest Gay Pride festivals and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2005.
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