Suddenly, there were two people in front of me yelling and then someone or something hit the back of my head. I could feel kicks and hits on my back. I tried to cover my face and neck as I was getting out my house keys. From this point on I do not remember anything till I got in the house. I was running on my adrenaline and that was all I had going for me. Five minutes later I realized what had just happened and I was shaking like a leaf. I did not go out for the next few weeks. I was so afraid that it might happen again and be even worse; I could be killed. As a result of this incident and all the fear that I had about it, I left Winnipeg and moved to Toronto. I have been here ever since and I WILLNOT GO BACK.

What I have come to realize is yes, I can blame the ten people for the name calling, hitting and the kicking but I will not put all the blame on them for why they did it. Where I have put most of the blame is on three major groups. They are religious groups, the government, and society for buying into all the crap that they have heard, read, seen or portrayed. In one of Malcolm X's speeches he has the line that says "see for yourself, listen for yourself, think for yourself." I think this is very good advice for every person in the world to hear. This way we are making up our own minds about people.

This gay bashing is still having an effect on me. For example, when I need to go some place that I have not been to before, I am totally nervous about it. At times I have panic attacks. When this happens I freeze and I am unable to think or even move. This is why I like to know the area a bit if I am to go by myself. This way I know where things are if I need to go into a public place or run if I need to. I also think that this is part of the reason I have a hard time in group settings.