Jake Raynard, the Canadian gay man who was savagely gay-bashed by a gang of brick-wielding men, is speaking out after spending six days in the hospital:
“This story isn’t just mine. I’m sure there’s many other people out there who have encountered a lot of the same problems that I have in my life, and have encountered hate-related crimes and a lot of discrimination based on that,” he said, his right arm planted firmly around the shoulders of his sister Jackii, sitting on a backyard swing. “I would urge them to come forward and make their stories known and have it so we can start to heal as a community and start to move forward beyond this kind of hate.”
According to the above report, it took about an hour for police to respond to the emergency call placed by employees of the fast-food restaurant where Raynard went for help after he regained consciousness. The 6′2″ Raynard suffered a broken jaw, broken eye socket and broken upper palate. He underwent facial reconstruction surgery and had two metal plates, nine screws and a wire used to put him back together again.
Says Raynard: “My physical well-being has already been damaged. But my spirit inhabits this body. And it’s very strong. I’m going to be fighting for what I think is right, and hopefully the community will join me in that fight.”
10. September 2009 at 9:47 pm
My heart goes out to Jake Raynard. The human response would’ve been to lash out at his attackers. Instead, he is encouraging others to share their stories of hate crimes to help heal a community. His dignity,compassion,and strength are awe inspiring. Thanks for keeping us updated on this story.