Contact Admin. In , a four-day search for Emanuel ended with the discovery of his body on the roof of a rundown building behind a Yonge Street body-rub parlour. The year-old Portuguese shoeshine boy had been lured away from his spot on Yonge Street with the promise of extra money. After being led to the parlour, he was violently and sexually assaulted and then murdered. Toronto police raided and shut down strip clubs and parlours in that section of Yonge Street, forcing sex workers onto the street, where they were an easier target for sexual predators.
Some sections of the Portuguese community, which in recent years had lived through important moments of political activity and public protest, took their anger to the streets, first in a funeral attended by 4, people, and later at a large demonstration on Nathan Phillips Square, reportedly attended by 15, The LGBTQ community was scapegoated, becoming the target of open and violent homophobic hatred, in tandem with other anti-gay movements rising in Canada and the U.
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Toronto's Portuguese shared the Jaques' family loss in a collective way and saw Emanuel as a symbol for all children in the community, for whom immigrant parents had sacrificed so much. During the dialogue, community members shared how this event altered their views of Toronto, their memories of growing up in the city at the time, their roles and expectations as Portuguese children, and the enforcing of "public morality" through policing techniques that discriminated against gay men and sex workers.
Valerie Scott, Canadian Sex Workers advocate. Did he like to play hockey? What was his favorite color? Community Conversations continues to encourage stimulating, inspiring, and inclusive dialogue among different communities across the GTA, on topics that are relevant and meaningful to them. Our goal is to actively enhance public engagement on a wide range of topics and to create inclusive spaces to exchange ideas.
The Global and Community Engagement unit encourages moderators to share their creative ideas. Get more information on upcoming Community Conversations , and apply online to host a Conversation.
