Canadian LGBTQ Pride board member charged with child pornography, sexual exploitation of minors

Sean Gravells, 39, of British Columbia, has been charged with touching a person under 16 for sexual purposes, sexual interference of a person under 16, possession of child pornography, and importing or distributing child pornography, according to the BC Prosecution Service, CBC reports.

Gravells was arrested and charged on Dec. 31. The alleged offenses occurred in or near Fort St. John, BC, which is located roughly 800 kilometers northeast of Vancouver. The child pornography charges were laid on Dec. 31, while the charges for interference and exploitation are for alleged offenses were laid on Dec. 29, according to BCPS spokesperson Dan McLaughlin.

A now-deleted biography of the alleged pedophile on the North Peace Pride Society (NPPS) website states that Gravells became the board president of the LGBTQ group in 2018. However, he has reportedly since been removed from the position.

Following Gravells' arrest, the NPPS released a statement on Meta and said that they had "immediately" removed a member from the board who is "facing severe charges."

"On December 21, 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. 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."

"We took swift actions, voting to remove this individual on January 3, 2024, and have advised our community partners regarding the next steps," the statement reads. "While some board members work directly with youth through library programs, this person was not among them. All board members involved in youth program have undergone criminal record checks."

"We want to clarify that the society itself is not implicated in any charges; these are isolated to the individual," said the statement.

NPPS has been sponsored by the Royal Canadian Bank, TD Canada Trust Bank, and the BC Government and Service Employees Union, among others.

In May 2022, the NPPS hosted a "Pride Teen Night" at the Fort St John Public Library for youth between the ages of 13 and 18, according to its website.

In June 2023, NPPS hosted another youth Pride event at the library in celebration of Pride month, according to a Facebook post from the organization.

Ahead of an "all-ages drag" show in 2022, Gravells told EnergeticCity.ca: "We've got, potentially, a young person who's never tried drag before, but they really want to try. 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."

Gravells announced in an August 2022 post on Meta that he had started a job at WESCO Distribution.

McLaughlin indicated that Gravells is scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 29.