Tim McCaskell is a Canadian writer, educator, and activist involved in gay rights, HIV/AIDS, and anti-apartheid advocacy.

After the 1981 police raids on gay bathhouses in Toronto, McCaskell organized protests and legal defense funds with the Right to Privacy Committee.

In 1989, he disrupted the opening ceremony of the International AIDS Conference with other activists to demand a bill of rights for people with HIV.

For 20 years, McCaskell was an employee of the Toronto District School Board, working on social equity educational programs.

[1] He became involved with the Marxist Institute of Toronto, where he focused on gay rights issues[5][3] and met his long-term partner, Richard Fung.

[10][9] On February 5, 1981, McCaskell witnessed Operation Soap, a raid by the Metropolitan Toronto Police against four gay bathhouses that resulted in $35,000 worth of property damage and the arrest of about 300 men.

[11] In addition to reporting on the raids for The Body Politic,[12] McCaskell helped to organize protests against the police and fundraise money for legal defenses through the newly-formed Right to Privacy Committee (RTPC).

[11][1] According to McCaskell, the police had expected most people to plead guilty to avoid publicity around their sexual orientation; however, the government lost around 80% of the cases.

[10] McCaskell has said that Operation Soap and the subsequent activism helped to unify Toronto's gay community: “They suddenly realized, ‘Shit, we’re powerful!

We can do something about this!’”[11] Nearly 20 years later, McCaskell assisted in organizing protests after the police raided Pussy Palace, a lesbian bathhouse event.

[16][17][18][15] In their first protest, AAN brought coffins to the front of Toronto General Hospital, which was conducting a double blind clinical trial of pentamidine, a Pneumocystis carinii medication that had already been approved in the US.

[33] He later criticized the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling that a person with HIV could be charged with sexual assault if they have condomless sex without disclosing their status while their viral load is not suppressed.

[37][8] McCaskell and Nkoli regularly exchanged letters, some of which were featured in the short film A Moffie Called Simon (1986).

[5] They marched in the annual Pride Toronto Parade over the course of several years, sparking controversy and leading some local politicians to threaten to pull funding for the event.

[1][2] For most of his education career, he worked for the Equal Opportunity Office to develop and implement equity-related programs, support groups, and materials.

[1][45] In 1981, McCaskell developed health issues which he suspected were caused by HIV/AIDS and enrolled in an HIV-related research study at the University of Toronto.