Murder of Kenneth Zeller
Kenneth Zeller (died June 1985) was a teacher and librarian in Toronto, who was employed by Davisville Public School, Williamson Road Junior Public School and Western Technical-Commercial School. He was the victim of a homophobic hate crime when he was beaten to death by five youths in Toronto's High Park. Five young offenders were convicted and sentenced to prison.
The crime received media coverage and was the subject of a play called Steel Kiss, written by Robin Fulford and produced by Buddies in Bad Times theatre. John Greyson also produced a movie called The Making of Monsters, which analyzed the incident through the lens of radical queer activists disrupting the production of a heavily sanitized commercial movie of the week about the incident.[1] It was never released for general viewing.[1] The incident also spurred the Toronto District School Board into implementing a program designed to eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation.[2]
The murder of Zeller was dramatized on Killer Kids.
References
- Matthew Hays, "Legends: The Making of Monsters". POV, February 1, 2009.
- Alanna Mitchell, "Welcome to Canada's gay high school: Toronto's Triangle program offers an educational refuge". The Globe and Mail, May 29, 2004.