Verdict coming next week from Canadian judge in Bill Whatcott’s second trial for LGBT “hate speech”

He was acquitted in 2021, but the government forced a second trial this year. (“Double jeopardy” is legal in Canada.)

All this over a flyer Bill passed out ten years ago! Reveals how leftist governments persecute pro-family beliefs.

Could this eventually happen in the US?

September 11, 2026

Bill Whatcott (center) and friends outside the courthouse during his first trial in 2021. He had to go through an even more aggressive trial again this year!

This is a story of the leftist Canadian government’s extreme hostility towards pro-family beliefs. We must prevent this from happening in the US.

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, a judge in Toronto will announce whether Christian activist Bill Whatcott will stay free, or go to prison and/or pay huge fines. It will be the culmination of an aggressive four-day trial that took place in May.

Bill’s “crime” was passing out a Christian flyer ten years ago at the Toronto Gay Pride parade. The government insists the flyer was “hateful” and is going to extreme lengths to criminally convict and imprison Bill.

Why should Americans and others pay attention to this?

People everywhere should pay attention to this trial and the outcome.

This situation may seem absurd to most American readers, where freedom of speech is taken for granted. No one is forced to endure a trial for “hate speech” or risk going to jail. No one can be tried twice for the same supposed crime if once found innocent.

In Canada, the government has gotten out of control and basically re-defined citizens’ civil rights. But things here could easily go in that direction. We’ve already seen the beginnings of it when our government has worked to punish people for spreading certain “misinformation” or criminally banned therapy for LGBT issues.

Bill’s “infamous crime” – passing out a flyer at the 2016 Toronto Pride Parade

As we reported in 2016, Canadian pro-family activist Bill Whatcott used an assumed name to register to march in the Toronto Gay Pride Parade. He and a group of unidentified friends wore green body suits and called themselves “gay zombies.” As they marched in the parade, they handed out approximately 3,000 “zombie safe sex” packets to spectators lining the street.

The "Gay Zombies" marching in the Toronto Gay Pride Parade. Note the contingent of naked men right behind them.

Inside each packet was a folded-up two-sided flyer urging gays to refrain from homosexual acts. They included Christian gospel plus related medical information, including graphic images of possible results of homosexual sex. In addition, it criticized the Prime Minister and other Canadian political figures for their pro-homosexual activism.

The "safe sex" packet with the flyer inside that Bill's group passed out that day.

Bill was subsequently charged under Canada’s Orwellian “Wilful Promotion of Hatred” criminal statute (Sec 319(2)).

A trial and acquittal. Then another trial for the same “crime”

In 2021 Bill went through a trial and was found “not guilty” by the judge. That should have been the end of it. Millions of dollars had been spent by the government pursuing that case. Bill’s lawyer was John Rosen, considered by many to be the top criminal defense lawyer in Canada. He did a brilliant job.

But the pro-LGBT Ontario Attorney General and his obsessed legal team refused to give up. He appealed the “not guilty” ruling, claiming the judge had improperly excluded a gay activist “professor” as an expert witness (on LGBT oppression), and had made other obscure legal errors. The leftist appellate judges went along with it, and a second trial was ordered. Unlike the US, Canada allows such “double jeopardy.”

Bill’s second trial took place in late May. It was more brutal for Bill personally, as the prosecution was much more aggressive in their attempts to portray him as a “hater.” Although John Rosen had retired, members of his firm continued to represent Bill skillfully and zealously. 

As in the first trial, if the “Wilful Promotion of Hatred” statute is properly interpreted, it would be an uphill legal battle for the prosecution to convict Bill. The prosecution lost in the first trial because the judge was honest about it. This time, the prosecution’s main tactic has been to aggressively push the boundaries of the law (and distort Bill’s role) to make Bill appear to be covered by it.

The government’s frightening obsession with this case is greatly out of proportion to how Canadian justice routinely works. It shows the raw power of the LGBT movement in countries like Canada, as well as the corruption of the Canadian political system. Crimes of much greater magnitude, such as assault, drug crimes, robbery, etc., routinely get brushed aside because of the crowded court calendar or other reasons.

Marching right in front of Bill and his "gay zombies" in the 2016 Toronto Gay Pride parade was this group of naked men. Public nudity and exposing oneself are federal criminal offenses in Canada. But none of these men were charged with anything or even arrested. Police were everywhere that day.

Coming up: Full report on the May trial

As the judge’s ruling nears, MassResistance is preparing a full report on the day-to-day trial proceedings, along with the basic legal arguments by each side and the details of the law. We will post it next week before the ruling.

Final thoughts: Not being covered by Canadian pro-family or conservative media

A disturbing barometer of the oppression in Canada is that MassResistance (based in the US) is the only pro-family organization that has covered this case in any detail.

Although this case has national implications, the Canadian conservative and pro-family news sites there have been largely silent on it. Even the normally brave Rebel News has backed away.

Part of the reason, we assume  – besides the general fear factor in Canada of tackling this issue – is that Bill Whatcott has a history of bold (and occasionally controversial) pro-family and pro-life activism across Canada. But that is because Canadians, unlike Americans, tend to be passive toward government abuses – so Bill stands out. If he were doing the same things as an American in the US, it would not bring much notice.

Look for our report early next week!