HomoQuotable - Jake Raynard

"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. 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. 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." - Thunder Bay, Ontario gay-bashing victim Jake Raynard, who is out the hospital six days after being beaten with bricks by a gang of six to eight men.

According to the above-linked report, it took police an hour to respond to the calls of the restaurant workers who found the bloodied Raynard banging for help on their windows. Raynard's injuries: "A broken jaw, broken eye socket and broken upper patella. He underwent facial reconstruction surgery and had two metal plates, nine screws and a wire used to put him back together again." Raynard lives in Toronto but was in Thunder Bay to celebrate the 10th birthday of his nephew.