Hundreds marched and held hands in downtown Vancouver today in a rally to condemn a violent attack on a gay man targeted because he was holding hands with another man.
No one should be afraid to hold hands in public -- because that's a gesture of love, said one man who gave his name as Darrell.
"We believe that the streets should be safe here, at least here on Davie Street, for gay couples to walk along proudly holding hands and showing affection for each other," he said, while walking with his boyfriend of eight years, Alexander.
Memories in Vancouver's gay-friendly West End are still fresh from an attack in September, where a group of men swarmed Jordan Smith while he was holding hands.
One of them men punched smith, knocking him to the ground and breaking his jaw. Twenty-year-old Michael Kandola is facing an assault charge, and will be back in court on Tuesday.
With boisterous shouts and waving rainbow-coloured flags, the march made its way up Davie Street to Hornby Street, the place where Smith was attacked.
Smith didn't attend the rally, but a close friend, Gregg Chute, told the crowd Smith would be overwhelmed.
The attack on Smith has also raised concerns that similar incidents aren't being reported. A series of community forums are scheduled for next month, named in honour of Aaron Webster, a gay man who was beaten to death in 2001.
"I would encourage people to come forward and report these things to show people they can't get away with it," said Aaron Webster's cousin, Denise Norman.
The forum organizers are also launching a fundraising campaign to hire a dedicated victim services worker.
With or without a crowd around them, Darrell and Alexander aren't holding back from holding hands.
"There's no harm in that, it's perfectly legal, and we should feel safe to do so," said Darrell.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Maria Weisgarber
