A now-disgraced former president of a Canadian LBGT “pride” organization is facing charges related to the sexual abuse of a minor and child pornography related to two separate but not necessarily unrelated incidents.
Sean Gravells, who had led the North Peace Pride Society in British Columbia, was charged on Dec. 29 with touching a person under 16 for sexual purposes and sexual interference of a person under 16, according to CBC, Canada’s national public broadcaster.
Two days later, presumably as a result of further investigation, he was further charged with possession of child pornography and importing or distributing child pornography, British Columbia Prosecution Service spokesperson Dan McLaughlin told the outlet.
Gravells, 39, appeared in court on Jan. 1 and was scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 29, the CBC reported.
According a bio page apparently since deleted by NPPS but retrieved by Post Millennial senior editor Andy Ngô, Gravells became “involved in the North Peace Pride Society” in September of 2o17 and had become its president six months later.
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.
Fort St. John is home to about 21,500 residents roughly 500 miles north of Vancouver.
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In September, when Gravells was still president of the organization, the NPPS 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.”
The group issued a very different statement on Jan. 5, a few days after Gravells’ arrest, distancing itself from its by-then-former president and stating that it planned to expand criminal records checks for board members.
“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.”
It had taken that action two days earlier, according to the statement, but 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, although there does not appear to be any record of anyone suggesting that the organization had been involved in Gravells’ alleged pedophilia.
The statement went on to explain that board members “involved in youth programs” had previously been subjected to criminal background checks, but that going forward all board members would undergo such checks regardless of whether they worked directly with youth.
It was not immediately clear that a criminal background check would have flagged Gravells as a possible danger to children.
In a statement to Fort St. John’s EnergeticCity.ca, Gravells encouraged “young people” to try performing as drag queens for a June 4 show during 2022’s so-called “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.”
