▁life ▁in ▁prison . ▁Upon ▁learning ▁of ▁the ▁murder , ▁a ▁crowd ▁assemble d ▁in ▁New ▁King ston ▁to ▁celebr ate ▁William son ' s ▁death , ▁chant ing ▁hom oph ob ic ▁s log ans ▁and ▁lyr ics . ▁Con vers ely , ▁the ▁J ama ican ▁L GB T ▁community ▁held ▁a ▁secret ▁mem orial ▁for ▁him , ▁while ▁protest s ▁against ▁the ▁killing ▁were ▁held ▁by ▁L GB T ▁rights ▁groups ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁Kingdom . ▁ ▁Biography ▁William son ▁was ▁born ▁to ▁an ▁upper - middle - class ▁family ▁in ▁the ▁rural ▁Saint ▁Ann ▁Par ish . ▁He ▁initially ▁considered ▁joining ▁the ▁cler gy ▁of ▁the ▁Roman ▁Catholic ▁Church , ▁studying ▁for ▁this ▁position ▁in ▁Monte go ▁Bay , ▁but ▁eventually ▁decided ▁against ▁this . ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 9 , ▁he ▁began ▁to ▁dev ote ▁himself ▁to ▁the ▁cause ▁of ▁gay ▁rights ▁in ▁J ama ica , ▁becoming ▁the ▁first ▁individual ▁to ▁do ▁so ▁in ▁such ▁a ▁public ▁manner . ▁J ama ica ▁had ▁a ▁reputation ▁for ▁its ▁w ides p read ▁anti - g ay ▁pre jud ice , ▁an ▁attitude ▁that ▁per v aded ▁public ▁disc ourse ▁at ▁all ▁levels ▁of ▁society , ▁with ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁popular ▁J ama ican ▁mus icians ▁inc iting ▁violence ▁against ▁gay ▁men ▁in ▁their ▁lyr ics . ▁Initial ly , ▁William son ▁offered ▁his ▁a partment ▁in ▁King ston ▁as ▁a ▁space ▁in ▁which ▁gay ▁J ama icans ▁could ▁meet ▁roughly ▁every ▁fort night . ▁In ▁the ▁early