Community members gathered in downtown Bangor on Sunday to mark Charlie Howard’s death 40 years ago. The Portsmouth, New Hampshire, resident was killed in Bangor for being gay.

On July 7, 1984, Howard and his boyfriend, Roy Ogden, were walking down State Street when three teenagers shouted homophobic obscenities and beat Howard.

The teenagers then tossed Howard from the State Street Bridge into the Kenduskeag Stream, despite him pleading that he did not know how to swim. As a result, Howard drowned.

A ceremony honoring Howard over the weekend was organized by EqualityMaine, Health Equity Alliance and local churches.

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor also held a memorial service in which participants walked down from Park Street to the State Bridge. After a service there, participants dropped flowers into the Kenduskeag Stream, near the memorial that was built for Howard in 2004.

This incident affected Bangor and sparked change throughout Maine. According to the EqualityMaine’s Facebook page, that group was formed as a direct result of Howard’s death. The group’s mission is to provide full equity for LGBTQ people across Maine.

Bangor and its LGBTQ community also dedicate a rainbow-painted crosswalk in his memory in 2016.

The Main Speakout Project also maintains a library named after him – the Charlie Howard Memorial Library in Portland.