A criminal arrest warrant was put out last week for a Canadian bus driver, a Christian man named Bill Whatcott, for distributing “safe sex” pamphlets which condemned homosexuality — at a gay pride rally. This was apparently a “hate crime.”
The 51-year-old has been charged with the “Wilful Promotion of Hatred against an identifiable group, namely the gay community” and faces up to two years behind bars. According to a news release from the Toronto Police Service, Whatcott was arrested in Calgary on June 22 in connection to the “Hate Crime investigation.” Whatcott says he drove to the station and turned himself in.
Some 3,000 fliers were distributed during the 2016 Toronto Pride rally. The Toronto Police Service apparently received complaints regarding the “anti-gay material” and an investigation was launched, oddly, some two years later.
According to The Federalist, the “safe sex” pamphlets “stated homosexuality is associated with sexually transmitted diseases, including HPV of the rectum.” This, of course, is true, as evidenced by statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The pamphlets also included criticism of Liberal party politicians, decried “Ontario’s ‘perverted sex education curriculum,'” and categorized homosexual activity as sinful, while simultaneously offering salvation for such acts through Christ.
The literature “did not call on anyone to hate homosexuals, or advocate violence, or claim that all homosexuals are pedophiles,” notes The Federalist.
The “hate speech” offender says he was “shocked” by the charge. “When they’re looking for you in three provinces, you’re pretty much, you know, bank robbery or murder. … So I knew it was serious,” he said, adding that he told a friend, “This is insane,” after learning that the charge had to do with a parade that took place nearly two years ago.
After Whatcott turned himself in at the Calgary station, he says he was deprived of food for 24 hours. “It might have been on purpose, because it didn’t happen, like — some inmates did go half a day without food — but they actually made me go a full 24 hours.”
Additionally, Whatcott says he was denied medical attention and medication for a leg injury. “I had a leg infection, and it was bad enough that I was brought to the hospital, but they simply refused to fill the prescriptions. So for four days I had no medications,” he explained. “The infection was actually going up my leg. I was a little concerned it was gonna go systemic.”
Whatcott has since been fired from his job, apparently without any explanation, and his wife’s GoFundMe page has been booted from the site. A new funding page for the family can be accessed here, on GoGetFunding.com.
On Monday, Whatcott was released on bail after agreeing to remove the the fliers from his website. He now faces up to two years behind bars for the “indictable” offense and is expected back in Toronto court on July 23 for a forthcoming trial date, reports The Federalist.