A possible gay bashing case in Saskatoon has a student group looking to raise awareness about discrimination.

Conner Copeman told CBC News Thursday that he has shared new information with police about an assault in 2007 that he believes was linked to his being gay.

Copeman suffered severe injuries that put him in a wheelchair.

Dan Shier works for the University of Regina Pride Centre, a group that tries to prevent acts of violence and intolerance.

"We try to get the word out that these things happen so that people are aware of it," Shier said Friday. "But our key tool to combat discrimination and harassment is education."

Shier said the centre is hoping students will support its work by voting in favour of permanent funding for the centre.

"There are so many positive initiatives out there," Shier said. "Yet the statistics say that [gay bashing] is still one of the top hate crimes out there. It's unfortunate."

Information from Statistics Canada shows that violent hate crimes are most often directed at people because of their sexual orientation.

It's a factor more often than race or religion.