In Memoriam

Although many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people feel more confident now to be open about their sexuality than they did ten years ago, many still prefer to avoid attention. There is plenty of evidence that, even in today's society, there can be a deadly price to pay for those who refuse or fail to conceal their sexuality.

Below are links to online news reports about some of the people who have lost their lives through homophobic attacks.

Hate crimes and prejudice against minority groups shouldn't be tolerated. If people were accepting of diversity and homosexuality, the people named below would probably still be alive.

Our sincere condolences go to the friends and families of the victims.

Joshua Melo: This 15-year-old schoolboy hanged himself in November 2004; he was suffering from severe depression after enduring endless bullying because some bullies at the school believed that he was gay.
Laura Rhodes: This 13-year-old schoolgirl from South Wales died in September 2004, while a 14-year-old friend from Birmingham, who also took an overdose, survived. Laura's parents said she was unhappy after bullying about her weight and sexuality at Cefn Saeson School, Neath.
Brandon Teena: In December 2003, this female crossdresser (who was living full-time as a man, in preparation for eventual sex-change surgery) and two of his friends were murdered in Nebraska, USA, after the police 'outed' Brandon to the local newspaper.
Mark Green: This 30-year-old college lecturer was beaten to death in a homophobic attack in January 2002. He left a gay pub in Birmingham to go to Kudos club and never arrived. He was found dismembered in the back garden of a house in Coventry. A 22-year-old Birmingham man was found guilty and sentenced to life.
Andrea Dykes, John Light and Nik Moore: In April 1999, a nail bomb killed three and injured over eighty others in the Admiral Duncan pub in the traditional centre of the London's gay community. Never before in the UK had anybody set out deliberately to massacre and maim scores of gay people for no other apparent motive than sheer hatred. A neo-Nazi, David Copeland, was found guilty of the attack, which had been intended specifically to injure members of London's gay community.
Matthew Shepard: This 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming in the USA died in October 1998 after spending several days in critical condition in hospital. In what was labelled a hate crime, the gay student was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die by Arthur Henderson, 21, and Aaron McKinney, 22, who were both sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.
Darren Steele: The 15 year old choirboy hanged himself in March 1998 after suffering for years at the hands of school bullies. He was found in his bedroom next to a note naming those he blamed for his death. During five years of abuse at two schools he was burnt with cigarettes, battered with school text books and branded a homosexual. He was frequently called "gayboy" and "poof" because he enjoyed cookery and drama.
Bill Clayton: In April of 1995, he was assaulted in a hate crime in Olympia, WA (USA). On May 8, 1995 Bill committed suicide, despite loving support from his family, friends and many wonderful people in his community. Bill was 17 years old and openly bisexual.
Michael Boothe: In April 1990, this 49-year-old gay actor was brutally killed in west London. He'd been set upon by a gang of around six men. He was found in the early hours, barely conscious, by a passer-by on the edge of Elthorne Park in west London. He'd suffered appalling injuries. Eight hours later, Michael died from massive internal bleeding.
William Dalziel, Henry Bright and Christopher Schliach: In September 1989, barrister Christopher Schliach was murdered in his west London home. He was stabbed more than 40 times. Later that year, Henry Bright, a hotelier, was stabbed to death at home in West London. In January 1990, hotel porter William Dalziel, was found unconscious on a roadside in Acton. He died soon after from severe head injuries.
Albert Kennedy: In 1989, this 16-year-old fell to his death from the top of a car park in Manchester whilst trying to escape a carload of "queer bashers". Albert was a runaway from a children's home in Salford, and was depressed. His short, tragic life had been filled with rejection and abuse.