Fatal stabbing shakes city's gays (Boston) [View All]

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Snyder said he always felt comfortable being himself and walking hand in hand with his boyfriend around Boston, a city he described as much more tolerant of gays and lesbians than his hometown in rural Pennsylvania.

But the stabbing death of his friend, 20-year-old Daniel Yakovleff, a gay hairstylist from Roxbury, has caused Snyder to question how safe he is.

Police say Yakovleff's Jan. 17 death is under investigation, and they have released no information about motive or suspects. But his death has sent a chill through the city's gay community.

Many gays say that in recent years they have felt more vulnerable to harassment, name calling, and assaults, particularly since the same-sex marriage amendment debate in 2004 that put a spotlight on the community and unleashed anger from gay marriage opponents.

"We don't know what caused his death," said Snyder, who is founder of QueerToday, a Boston nonprofit that combats discrimination. "I know that for me and my friends, it was a huge wake-up call that we're a small community and we're brothers and sisters and we need to look out for each other. You never know which one of us may be a victim."

More: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/01/26/fatal_stabbing_shakes_citys_gays/

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