Gay man attacked in Thunder Bay
VIOLENCE / "What happened... was a hate crime": sister
Xtra.ca staff / National / Monday, September 07, 2009
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VICIOUS. John "Jake" Raynard suffered 15 fractures to his cheekbone, a broken eye socket, a broken jaw and a broken upper palate, according to tbnewswatch.com.
A Thunder Bay gay man is in hospital for reconstructive surgery after he was attacked with bricks by a group of six to eight men early Saturday morning, reports tbnewswatch.com.

John "Jake" Raynard was smoking outside of a bar with two friends when a man approached to ask for a cigarette. Raynard and his friends walked away when the man became aggressive, and Raynard says they were soon followed a group of men shouting anti-gay comments.

"It was like they were waiting in the woodwork," Raynard told tbnewswatch.com from his hospital bed. "The crowd just seemed to get bigger."

One of the men grabbed Raynard's friend and began choking him. Raynard says he struck the man in retaliation and he yelled at the group in an effort to scare them off. Raynard's two friends managed to escape in a taxi, but he says the group blocked him from also getting inside. Raynard ran screaming down an alley as the men chased him, and he says the last thing he remembers is banging on a restaurant window for help. He woke up in the hospital on Saturday afternoon.

"What happened that night was a hate crime," Raynard's sister Jackii told the news website. "They broke the whole left side of his face. His face speaks for itself."

For more, read the full story at tbnewswatch.com.


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Reader Comments


 
UNITED ACTION AGAINST VIOLENT HOMOPHOBIA NEEDED
First, my thoughts go out to Jake. I hope his recovery (physical and mental) is rapid. This is a horrific crime and it sounds like he's lucky to be alive. These violent, homophobic assaults have to end in this country. We need to pull together, harness all the queer communities' political power to ensure that the criminal justice system in Thunder Bay deals with this quickly and firmly. We need our very few national and regional organizations to support the actions called for by local Thunder Bay queers. We need our queer media to cover this story and stay on it until justice is achieved. There are far too many cases of violent assaults against queers in this country that receive too little attention and in the end.. little recognition of the hate crimes nature of these assaults. I want to see a rapid and clear response from EGALE and other organizations. This needs to be pursued as a hate crime.
Phillip, Vancouver Bc
09/09/09 5:01 AM EST
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follow this story
This is the most vicious gay bashing I've heard of, the level of violence and utter contempt for the life of a gay man sickens me. Hopefully this case is tried as attempted murder and a hate crime since anyone who beats another with a brick to the head clearly intends to do away with that person and not just rough them up a bit though that is more than bad enough. I know gay bashings can happen anywhere but it takes a prolonged tolerance of intolerance in our society for this level of violence to be seen as acceptable to those who committed it. I think that everyone who cares about equality and diversity must not look away when one of us is attacked, even if the attack isn't nearly as severe as that against Jake, we should be challenging anti-gay talk where ever we hear it even if that means some minor risk to ourselves in that situation, silence only emboldens the haters to greater levels of violence. I know I've too often been silent when faced with anti-gay slurs and attacks, often its just a case of being shocked to hear such things and not knowing how to respond to them I know, I hope I find the courage to respond better in the future when I hear or see such things again, I know I will be faced with such hatred again, even here in Toronto since despite our legal equality we still have a long way to go in achieving social equality. I hope Xtra keeps up the coverage of this story and other cases of anti-gay violence to always remind us where silence leads and that Jake's attackers face the full force of justice.
Rich, Toronto Ontario
09/09/09 1:41 PM EST
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Right Wing Government & Bad Times
The culture created by over 2 years of PM Stephen Harpers Convervative Party, magnified by the severe economic crisis, fuels these type of attacks. Bashers are pissed off because of the economy and are looking for an outlet.
Dustin, Mississauga Ontario
09/09/09 5:44 PM EST
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Here comes the loony left...
...to blame it on Stephen Harper and the Conservatives. And you wonder why you idiots aren't taken seriously will never win an election.
ron, Vancouver Bc
09/09/09 7:39 PM EST
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A good case can be made...
...to support Dustin's opinion "Right Wing Government & Bad Times" its already been well established that racist attacks increase during tough economic times and isn't much of a stretch to go from racism to homophobia. Plus I don't think its a hard argument to make that the polarization of society created by neo-cons like Harper has contributed to increased hatred in society in general, all elements that played a part in this vicious attack. Take ron and his comments for example, I've never read a single comment from him on any story that wasn't dripping with bile and hatred and he's a proud Harperite, traits I'm sure he shares with Jake's attackers so its not surprising that people will make the connection between the politics of division as practiced by the Harper Cons and the increase in hatred in society in general, the two go hand in hand. I may be a little hard on ron and his kind but no more so than they are on the thoughtful and compassionate people they disagree with.
Rich, Toronto Ontario
09/09/09 8:34 PM EST
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The bitter lunatic left
As we head into conservative majority rule, and the kangaroo courts with their Section 13 wither away, I feel like it's Christmas come early this year. No wonder the hateful impotent leftists are lashing out. Their day has truly gone forever. Even Obama is a has-been. Canadians are taking their country back and there's not a damn thing the Toronto multi-cult creeps can do about it.
ron, Vancouver Bc
09/09/09 9:20 PM EST
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Sad
I live in Thunder Bay. I moved here 5 years ago. It's an intolerant, horrid little city. Generally speaking, you have two types of people here, those that hate everyone and those that feel they are above everyone. Aboriginal get full cans of pop thrown at them while they walk the streets, gays get taunted (and obviously beaten) on the street, 'others' are told to "go back to were they come from". A light needs to be shone on this little town of hate!
edna, Thunder Bay ON
09/09/09 10:07 PM EST
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to Ron of Vancouver
Speaking of "bitter" Ron, sounds like you're full of it.... in a number of way! You're also a bit delusional with your political predictions. You're and a lot of other twisted Cons are in for a big surprise come election time. Your leader's career is nearing it's well deserved ending!
Darryl Robert Browne, Regina Saskatchewan
09/10/09 11:14 PM EST
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Jake attacked in isolated city - natl eye needed
Please keep a national eye on Jake Raynard's recovery and how the local police and city council respond to 1) declaring this targeted assault as a hate crime 2) providing descriptions of the attackers and publishing them in the media 3) offering a reward for the apprehension of the attackers. We are in the middle of nowhere and outside monitoring of hate crimes is essential. Thunder Bay is the 3rd most violent city in Canada and in the first six months of 2009 it's on the path to becoming Canada's murder capital again. ~ Jake survived ~ many victims don't dare contact the cops.
Lynne Sharman, Thunder Bay Ontario
09/14/09 2:24 PM EST
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A Vile Act by Despicable Cowards
What happened to John Raynard was a vile act perpetrated by despicable cowards. They should definitely be brougth to justice and if justice is not done we, the Gay community, should bus down to Thunder Bay and stage a mass protest until justice does get done. I don't want to veer too far away from what's important here, John and stopping gay bashing but I do want to make a comment regarding Ron and his pro-conservative rants: we on the centre left and left are the majority in Canada but we have to unite to beat the right. We have about 60 to 64 % of the popular vote depending on the poll taken so, if we unite, we can get a centre left to left majority federal government. That government is far more likely to help end gay bashing.
Mike J, OTTAWA ON
09/18/09 5:17 PM EST
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