April 17
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Events
1997 - Forgiven, but not forgotten - A former investigator for the Canadian Human Rights Commission was arrested and charged at his home for possessing child porn. Pornography, much of it involving children, was found on computer discs and videos, in diaries and photos. In 1979 was convicted of molesting a boy and he later obtained a pardon. A police officer who investigates pedos questioned on this date why the National Parole Board grants pardons to people convicted of sex crimes against children. Det. Noreen Waters, of the Coordinated Law Enforcement Unit in Vancouver, said, "I'm not a psychologist, so I can't say that they're incurable, but they don't give it up."[1]
2001 - Why not just a national priest registry? - An independent report commissioned by the Roman Catholic Church resulting from pedo priest scandals was released on this date. It recommended that clergy, staff and volunteers in the Church in England and Wales should be subject to criminal record checks to stamp out sexual abuse of children. Anyone who refused to consent to a records check should not be appointed, the report said. It further recommended that a national database to help vet candidates for the priesthood be set up, and no decisions on choosing would-be priests should be taken without referring to the database.[1]
2001 - Gayboys make Spielberg's list - Steven Spielberg resigned on this date from an advisory board of the Boy Scouts of America, implying that his action was prompted by the organization's policy of excluding homosexuals. Spielberg had previously written the rules for acquiring a cinematography merit badge. In a statement, Spielberg said, "The last few years in scouting have deeply saddened me to see the Boy Scouts of America actively and publicly participating in discrimination. It's a real shame." However, Joey Robinson, a spokesman for the group's Los Angeles council said: "It's not discrimination. It's the right to set membership standards. ... The Girl Scouts have a rule that you have to be a girl."[1]
