Charles Howard was an openly gay man living in Bangor, Maine. Charlie met a tragic fate in 1984 at the hands of three local teenagers who beat him for being "flamboyantly gay." Afterward, they cast him off the side of the State Street bridge into the Kenduskeag Stream where he suffered an asthma attack and drowned. Charles was 23 years old.
The three teens who beat him were arrested and sentenced to a reform school. They were all released before their 18th birthdays.
The Charles Howard gay-bashing incident rippled through the Maine lgbt community and became one of the many catalysts for the current movement to include sexual orientation in hate crime legislation in Maine and throughout the country.
Howard Memorial Foundation was formed to promote diversity, tolerance and hate crime prevention.
Recently the city accepted a gift from the Charles Howard Memorial Foundation of a bench and stone planter. It will be placed at the spot where Howard was killed.
The group started planning this memorial four years ago. Last year, the city rejected its original design.
People supporting this project are glad their efforts are finally paying off.
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