Raymond Taavel (June 9, 1962 – April 17, 2012)[1] was a Canadian LGBTQ rights activist[2] who was attacked and killed by Andre Noel Denny on April 17, 2012[3] outside Menz Bar, Gottingen Street while protecting another person.[4] He was thereafter posthumously awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal.[5] He played a key role in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM)’s first ever Pride Week publication.[6] He worked toward having the rainbow flag raised at Halifax City Hall.[7] During his lifetime he also engaged in endeavors to legitimize equal marriage and transgender rights in Nova Scotia’s Human Rights Act.[8] In 2017, the Department of Heritage and Culture Committee of the Halifax Regional Council selected Taavel as one of 30 Nova Scotians from the last century-and-a-half to be celebrated in the Vanguard exhibition at the Nova Scotia Museum for his “innovation and change in the face of diversity.”[9] In 2019 Inglis Street Park was renamed the Raymond Taavel Park in his honor.[10]
Raymond Taavel | |
---|---|
Born | 9 June 1962 |
Died | 17 April 2012 |
Cause of death | Murder |
Known for | LGBT activism |
Awards | Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal |
References
edit- ^ "Gay activist killed in Halifax assault". The Globe and Mail. April 17, 2012.
- ^ Dubé, Jacques. "AN104: HRM Asset Names, October 17, 2017 – April 15, 2018" (PDF). Halifax.
- ^ Williams, Cassie. "Andre Denny sentenced to 8 years for Raymond Taavel killing". CBC.
- ^ Patil, Anjuli. "Halifax considers renaming park after slain LGBT activist". CBC.
- ^ "Slain Halifax activist Raymond Taavel to receive Diamond Jubilee medal". Global News. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
- ^ "Media Release: 2019 Halifax Pride Festival Begins". Halifax Pride. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
- ^ Kelly, Brian (July 24, 2019). "Sault native remembered in Halifax". Sault Star. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
- ^ Boon, Jacob. "Raymond Taavel to be memorialized with city park". The Coast Halifax. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
- ^ Dubé, Jacques. "AN104: HRM Asset Names, October 17, 2017 – April 15, 2018" (PDF). Halifax.
- ^ "How a Halifax park came to be renamed for Raymond Taavel | The Star". thestar.com. 21 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-03.