The former president of a Canadian LBGT “pride” organization was arrested this week and is facing charges of child pornography possession and the sexual abuse of a minor.
The charges are against Sean Gravells, who led the North Peace Pride Society in British Columbia.
Gravells was charged on December 29 with touching a person under 16 for sexual purposes and sexual interference with a person under 16, CBC reported.
Following further investigations, Gravells was charged with possession of child pornography and importing or distributing child sex material.
Gravells, 39, appeared in court on January 1 and is scheduled to be arraigned at the end of this month.
According to his bio page, which has since been deleted, Gravells became “involved in the North Peace Pride Society” and became president of the organization in 2017 – Via Andy Ngo:
The president of a large Canadian LGBTQ+ group has been arrested and charged with committing child sex crimes. Sean Gravells is accused of molesting a child, possessing child sex abuse content, and distributing it. Read: https://t.co/XOIFYyyrA6 pic.twitter.com/gvNz7Q9Tec
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) January 11, 2024
“It’s exciting and stressful sometimes but it fills my heart with pride to be a part of something that shows how much support the LGBTQ+ community has in Fort St. John,” the bio stated.
While Gravells was still president of the organization, PS issued a statement saying that it was “committed to support SOGI [sexual orientation and sexual identity] and children’s rights, as it is instrumental for the healthy upbringing of all children.”
However, the group issued a much different statement on January 5, attempting to stance itself from the former president.
“On December 31, 2023, one of our board members was arrested and is facing severe charges inconsistent with the North Peace Pride Society’s mission and code of conduct,” the statement read.
“In response to the gravity of the charges, we have immediately removed this person from our board, emphasizing our commitment to our community’s values.”
The group delayed an official announcement because of “the sensitivity of the situation and privacy considerations,” according to the statement.
“We also want to clarify that the society itself is not implicated in any charges; these are isolated to the individual,” the statement explained.
The statement added that board members “involved in youth programs” had previously been subjected to criminal background checks but said that now all of its members would undergo such checks.
Gravells also encouraged “young people” to perform as drag queens for a June 4 show during 2022’s “pride month.”
“We’ve got, potentially, a young person who’s never tried drag before, but they really want to try,” Gravells said at the time.
“So we’re going to help them out as much as we can with costumes, makeup. We can’t do everything for them, but we can definitely provide some guidance.”
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