By Lucy Nerseian
Members of the Ryerson community joined a vigil Friday evening honouring the life of slain university student Matthew Shepard, 21.
Shepard, an openly gay student at the University of Wyoming, died last week after being beaten.
Last Friday, 1,500 people from Toronto’s gay and lesbian community gathered at Cawthra Square Park on Church Street for a candlelight memorial.
Members of RyePride and RyeSAC went to show their support.
“The vigil was very sad and moving,” said RyePride coordinator Jenn Kuo. “It brings home that gay bashing is on the rise.”
RyePride and RyeSAC will send a letter of support to Matthew Shepard’s parents.
“It struck home that this incident could happen anywhere, not just Wyoming,” said RyeSAC president David Steele.
“We think we’re safe here [in Toronto] because we have the second largest gay group in North America, but not everyone is accepting.”
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