There was a time in the 1970s when the story of Windsor-raised gay rights pioneer John Damien was widely known.

That's no longer the case — which is one of the reasons Windsor sculptor Donna Mayne chose Damien as the subject of her latest work.

"I love the fact that he fought for something so valiantly, against all odds — and was successful," Mayne told CBC Windsor.

Windsor sculptor Donna Mayne shows her progress on a bust of John Damien — a pioneer in gay rights advocacy who was raised in Windsor. (Dalson Chen/CBC)

For the past two weeks, Mayne has been sculpting a bust of John Damien, based on photos from published materials that date back generations.

"Broad forehead, strong jaw, soft eyes. I would say that's the personality I read — like he was a kind man. I didn't know him, but

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