Fundraising to refurbish Vancouver bench dedicated to gay man beaten to death
Posted November 14, 2021 2:25 pm.
Last Updated November 14, 2021 2:31 pm.
Editor’s note: This article includes mention of a hateful attack and may be disturbing to some readers.
Twenty years ago, Aaron Webster was beaten to death near Vancouver’s Stanley Park. He was attacked for being gay.
A bench near the park was dedicated to Webster’s memory. Fundraising is now underway to come up with the $7,000 needed to refurbish the bench.
Michelle Fortin, chair of Vancouver Pride, says it’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years Webster was killed.
“For many in the community, it feels like yesterday,” she said.
On Nov. 17, 2001 Webster was swarmed by a group of men and severely beaten. He died shortly after the attack.
“I’m really pleased to see that people are thinking about creating space for his legacy to go on and to actually bring it up so that folks in the community who are a little younger … [know that] only 20 years ago, someone was violently murdered for being gay,” Fortin said.
Related article: Family marks tenth anniversary of Aaron Webster’s death
Thinking back to when it happened, Fortin calls it a “wake-up call.”
“I think there’s a certain amount of complacency that happens, especially in a large city, where for the most part … not so much trans or two-spirt, but people that are queer kind of navigate life very easily. So, when Aaron was murdered with so much violence obviously directed at him because he was gay, it was really a reminder that there’s still a huge battle to be fought for us in the queer, trans, and two-spirit community.”
Four young men were implicated in Webster’s murder. Two were youths at the time, and were sentenced to only two years in jail for the crime.
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Fortin says visibility has been key in the society’s progress in learning acceptance.
“In Vancouver, the Pride parade is a civic event … very much supported by city and council. We have a Pride Week, where the Pride flag is raised in partnership with the Trans flag, as well as all three host First Nations, now,” she said.
But Fortin emphasizes there’s still work to be done.
“There’s a long way to go before everyone feels as safe as I get to as a cis white woman.”
The bench and plaque in Webster’s memory is near Second Beach. Donations for its renewal project can be made online.
A housing co-op and a memorial fund have also been named after Webster.
