How Raymond Taavel helped one woman fit in after coming out

This week I’ve been covering the complex and tragic story of beloved Halifax gay activist’s Raymond Taavel’s murder, allegedly at the hands of a man who was supposed to be in a mental-health corrections facility, a fact which has now prompted a provincial review.

In covering a vigil held in Taavel’s honour Tuesday night, which drew a thousand people, I spoke to a woman named Laurie Murray, who sent me a beautiful e-mail about how  Taavel helped her feel welcome in Halifax’s gay community when she came first came out of the closet. 

No matter where we were, no matter what the circumstance, he always had this calming effect on me whenever we talked. He always made me feel so very safe.

Of course, I couldn’t publish her letter in its entirety. But Murray has since built on it and posted on her own blog. It’s beautifully written and a great example of how one person’s life was made better from having known Raymond Taavel.