On May 29, 1990, Madonna was performing on the third night of her Blond Ambition Tour in Toronto’s SkyDome.

Just before she was set to take the stage, local police officers threatened to arrest her for simulating m@sturbation during her performance of “Like a Virgin.”

Christopher Ciccone, who was assisting his sister on tour at the time, informed Madonna that “a representative from the D.A.’s office” was concerned about the “immoral live performance.”

Madonna, undeterred, responded, “I’m not changing my f–king show.”

Madonna’s simulated m@sturbation during the Blond Ambition Tour was more explicit than her infamous performance of the song at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards, where she imitated intercourse.

This time, Madonna actively touched herself, writhed around, and simulated sex with a bed in front of tens of thousands of people.

Just before she took the stage, Madonna and her dancers joined hands in a prayer circle.

In typical Madonna fashion, she began with, “Dear Lord, this is our last night in the fascist state of Toronto,” and ended by praising the United States for protecting free speech.

As she walked to the stage, Madonna and two singers sang the chorus to “Holiday” as a gesture of defiance towards the officers.

Fortunately, Madonna was not arrested and was able to complete her performance. The incident, while absurd in hindsight, paved the way for other artists like Marilyn Manson and Miley Cyrus to shock and offend with their performances in the years to come.

In fact, Miley recently advised her fans to “m@sturbate a day to keep the haters away.”

It’s interesting to note that just two years before Miley was born and six months before the release of the Divinyls’ song “I Touch Myself,” which celebrates female m@sturbation, Madonna was pretending to orgasm in the name of artistic expression and free speech.