A Homecoming for Charlie Howard

Charlie Howard was 23 when he was thrown from a bridge in Bangor, Maine because he was gay. He drowned in the Kenduskeag River, and his three teen attackers were all freed by age 21. Now, 35 years later, his hometown of Portsmouth, N.H. is remembering the joy and courage with which Charlie lived his life, and hoping to create a space to honor him. This campaign, organized by the Seacoast LGBT History Project, is seeking to raise $3500 for a granite memorial bench to be placed in Portsmouth and a grave marker. The family did not want a marker at the time of his death for fear it would be defaced. As Charlie's favorite high school teacher, Bob Lister, says: "I am convinced that had he lived, he would have been a prominent advocate for the rights of individuals."