EDGE Miami

At 18 years old, Scott Hall and a gay friend were sitting outside of a gay bar in Brevard County, his hometown. A stranger approached his friend and asked for a light. Out of the corner of his eye, Hall saw a baseball bat swinging toward his face.

"It knocked me to the ground, obviously," said Hall, adding that he is not gay. Nevertheless, he said he and his friend were beaten because the assailants believed they both were.

Years later, Hall was attacked again while using a pay phone in the same county. He was left for dead on the side of the road.

"Those things happened and I didn’t really do anything," he said.

But that changed in March, when Hall, now in his early 40s, was prompted to action after learning about the murder of Ryan Skipper, 25, a gay man from Polk County whose killing is thought by police to be a hate crime.

"It was a two-second blip on the news. So I said to myself, this poor kid’s going to be forgotten about," Hall said.

In May, Hall formed the Fort Lauderdale-based Gay American Heroes Foundation, based in Fort Lauderdale.

"To live openly gay in our society today is courageous," he said. "If you’re murdered in that battle for your freedom - which you shouldn’t have to be fighting here in America - you should be honored."

Hall plans to honor victims by constructing a traveling, multidimensional monument that will feature photos of those murdered because of their sexual orientation on a series of 7 feet by 12 feet blocks spelling out "HEROES."

Supporters donated funds and viewed a mockup of the memorial on Jan. 30 at Halo Lounge in Miami Beach.

"The purpose is to build a national memorial that will travel across the U.S. to bring awareness to the devastation that GLBT hate crimes create," he said. The memorial will begin touring "as soon as it’s built," he said.

Universities across the country, including Yale, Pennsylvania State and Clemson have expressed interest in hosting the memorial, as have gay pride celebrations and the communities where the crimes occurred, Hall said.

Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower was on hand at the Halo Lounge to support the foundation. "It’s very sad that we need this, but it’s beautifully done," she said about the memorial. "I believe that we’re all equal and we need to be loving to everyone. A person is a person."

Hall said he hopes that through raising awareness and honoring victims, those in need will be inspired to connect with local gay outreach organizations. "When we unite, all these voices we will be much better heard," Hall said. "We need to be united in this fight."

Archiving national information about hate crime victims is another goal of the organization, which is being led by Jack Rutland, executive director of the Stonewall Library and Archives in Fort Lauderdale and GAHF board member. Though he has often asked to contribute to gay causes during his 30 years of nonprofit work, Rutland said Hall’s ambition stands out.

"I get a lot of these phone calls, quite frankly. Scott came into the office and within an hour I was on the board," he said.

"Having a memorial that personalizes this issue is very powerful," said Judge David Young, who hosts a nationally syndicated daytime courtroom series and sits on the GAHF honorary board. "This memorial will ensure that these heroes did not die in vain and their lives will continue in perpetuity," he said.

The organization provides much needed voices against hate crimes, said Tony Bright, a professor at Nova Southeastern University and GAHF advisory board member.

"We could all be individuals on this wall," he said. "Now I have a voice and I’m able to have a venue and a stage to reach people."

Those who wish to contribute to the organization can sign up for the Adopt-A-Hero program at the GAHFs website, gayamericanheroes.com. With a $25 donation, donors receive an information card about a victim so that his or her memory can live on, Hall said.