In a time when London was home to prejudice, gay bashing and the AIDS crisis, Martin Withenshaw spoke out. Now, the London region is mourning the loss of a man who changed the lives of so many.

Withenshaw, 71, was one of London’s most vocal and present advocates for the LGBTQ+ community for more than 40 years. He worked tirelessly to speak out for those who needed a voice and his death on Nov. 17 has left a void in the hearts of those he helped.

Withenshaw said in a 2019 interview with The Free Press he lived his life enacting a lesson taught to him by his mother, a women’s rights activist. “You don’t throw stones at glass houses; you go inside the glass house to make change.”

He credited his mother and grandmother for inspiring him to work toward a better life for those in need.

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