Greetings folks, Only 25 years ago Montreal was a far different place for LGBT folk than it is today. For example, it was 25 years ago that I met my now ex-wife, really not that long ago (for us oldsters anyway). On the front page of this past Saturday's "The Gazette" (Montreal's only English language daily) was a half-page picture of the rainbow flag and a reference to a tragic event that mobilized Montreal's gay community. Many of the organizations I have encountered today had their start shortly after the murder of Joe Rose, a young gay man who was 23 when he was stabbed to death on a city bus. Here's the link to this story, truly a landmark in our city's LGBT history: Prejudice to pride: The forgotten murder of Joe Rose This article was important because LGBT history is patchy at best. I commend the paper for remembering this beautiful young man, suffering from HIV at a time when it was a virtual death sentence, and the role his death had in changing this city for the better.
Hi, We are here today not by some glorious battle but rather people dying on buses, in gutters and left to die tied to rail fences. Makes me cry. I weep for humanity. Tom
Quoted from Montreal's The Gazette: "The fatal bus attack took place during a turbulent era for Montreal’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. Ravaged by HIV at the height of the AIDS crisis and grappling with homophobia, the community’s sense of being under siege was further complicated by anti-LGBT hate crimes and a string of unsolved murders. The murder proved to be a turning point for Montreal’s gay community." ----- This in a way describes the paranoia and anger of those times, not to mention less tolerance in general. In any kind of scuffle like that, the bus would be stopped immediately with a distress signal of the most serious type sent out to summon the authorities. I didn't know about Joe Rose. It immediately reminded me of the tragic end that Matthew Shepard met, except for one major difference. It occurred on the transit system and on a bus ride beginning in somewhat of an affluent area in a big city. This account is very sad, as was the Matthew Shepard murder and for which then President Clinton got into direct contact with the family and addressed the issue of hate crimes, making his voice heard around the globe. The article mentions Joe Rose as being all but forgotten. And, as time goes by, that seems to happen, as in "out of sight, out of mind." However, a concurrent problem is that HIV has also been almost forgotten, to the point that I've even seen ads or other public announcements saying "It's still here." Actually, neither should be forgotten. Thank you for the link to that interesting though sad article.
