Raymond Gravel

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Father Raymond Gravel (born 1952 in Saint-Damien-de-Brandon, Quebec) is a Canadian priest and politician who is currently the Member of Parliament for the riding of Repentigny, as a member of the Bloc Québécois. He is a controversial (and "dissenting") Roman Catholic priest in Quebec, Canada. He was elected to the House of Commons in a November 27, 2006 by-election.

Gravel is controversial among the Catholic clergy and laity for his support of abortion and same-sex marriage — two issues officially opposed by the Church.

As a youth, Gravel had worked as a male prostitute and in a gay leather bar. He left home to be a male escort at the age of 16 in Montreal. After working in two gay bars, he decided to enter the seminary in 1982. He is currently the priest at St-Joachim de la Plaine Church in La Plaine, Quebec.

He was acclaimed as the Bloc's candidate on October 29, 2006. As he had not sought dispensation to run for elected office, he gave up his authority to exercise sacramental ministry in so doing [1].