Gay strip bar to file complain

Unhappy with the way police raided their bar in a bust that resulted in no charges, the owners of a gay strip club have said they will make a complaint to the police ethics commission.

In May 2003, Montreal police officers descended on the Taboo bar on de Maisonneuve Blvd. E. after a three-month undercover investigation. Police said they had received tips that some of the male strippers might be minors and that sexual acts were taking place inside.

Of the 34 people arrested, 23 were dancers and one was a minor, age 17. Four customers were arrested, as well as seven other people described as managers of the club.

The bust took nearly three hours as patrons and dancers were interrogated about the club's activities.

This week, the Crown decided to drop all the charges against Taboo, its dancers and patrons.

Former bar manager Nicoll Tremblay said the decision is a reaction to the Supreme Court of Canada ruling that allows the existence of swingers' clubs.

However, Montreal police spokesperson Sgt. Ian Lafreniere said that ruling had nothing to do with the Taboo case and that it was a matter of jurisprudence.

"The crown prosecutor decided that the charge of indecency was a non-issue," Lafreniere said.

"It's not a setback for us. Officers did their jobs and followed normal procedure."

Tremblay said the club's dancers and patrons were jarred by the investigators' questions, which included graphic descriptions of the dancers' state of arousal.

"We just want police to stop acting like that," Tremblay said. "Next time, they should just meet the bar owners and tell us they found indecent behaviour inside and that we should take care of it."

As for the underage dancer, Tremblay said Taboo checks the ID of every stripper who auditions.

This particular dancer, however, had his age altered on his health insurance card. He no longer works at the club, Tremblay said.

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Article sourced from

Montreal Gazette - Montreal, Q20 January 2006

Gay strip bar to file complain

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Montreal Gazette - Montreal, Q
20 January 2006