In the 70’s Yonge Street was a road in downtown Toronto that was known as the Sin Strip which included various businesses that offered adult services and explicit goods that were within a legal grey area. After a tragic event in 1977, Yonge Street received attention from the public and the police force, which would inevitably launch protests that grew in size until the large en masse march down Yonge Street that would later be known as the first Pride Parade.
On July 28th of 1977, Emanuel was working as a shoeshine boy with his brother, Luciano, earning money to help their parents in supporting their family of 7. The family moved to Canada from Portugal with 5 children in tow just under 4 years prior to the heinous crime that would ultimately take Emanuel’s life.
On an offer of $35 to help move photography equipment, Emanuel went with Saul David Betesh. Betesh would lure 12-year-old Emanuel away where they would join up with Robert Kribs and Joseph Woods – Betesh’s sick friends who would join Betesh in torturing the child. The torture involved sexual assault and the taking of his life through drowning him in a sink at Charlie’s Angels Massage Parlour.
The 12-year-old child’s body was found on top of a roof at 245 Young Street on August 1st, 1977. It would take more than a decade for all three of his murderers to be convinced of this evil crime.
Emanuel’s death sparked outrage from public that largely pointed the finger incorrectly at the LGTBQIA+ community due to the presumed orientation of the three men who murdered Emanuel. This outrage showed itself through protests up and down Yonge street, demands for changing the laws surrounding sex work, and an increase in bath house raids. The raids would cause dozens of charges against patrons, owners, and employees of businesses within the Yonge Street area; the majority of charges were dropped.“Operation Soap” was the precipitating bath house raid that caused a retaliation by citizens frustrated with the constant attack on their livelihoods, lifestyle, and freedom to be themselves.