Matthew Shepard's Legacy

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Fourteen years ago today, 21-year-old Matthew Wayne Shepard succumbed to the injuries inflicted upon him a few days earlier by two men he had met in a bar. Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson later both received two consecutive life sentences for their crime. But this isn’t about them. This is about Matthew, a young man who just wanted a ride home. Driven by their homophobia, McKinney and Henderson beat and tortured Matthew into a coma, tied him to a fence, and left him to die just outside of Laramie, Wyoming.

The events of that night on October 7 are tragic. While they must never be forgotten, we also must not forget the legacy of Matthew’s death. It’s up to those of us who are still walking this world to make sure he didn’t die in vain. Organizations such as Wipe Out Homophobia continue to focus our attention on these painful legacies, reminding us of the level of hatred and intolerance still in the world — needing to be transformed.

In memory of their son, Judy and Dennis Shepard founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation in 1988. They have since been working tirelessly on making our society more accepting of diversity, erasing hate and ensuring all people are treated with dignity and respect. The speakers of the foundation visit schools, colleges, companies, universities and other community groups to educate about the impact hate has on individuals as well as our society in general. The Matthew Shepard Foundation also provides programming for schools through Small Bear Big Dreams, a Pre-K–12 educational program. Finally, Matthew’s Place, an online community, offers resources and support to young queers and their allies.

In 2009, Judy Shepard released a book, The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed, in which she talks about her son, the struggles she and her family went through after his death, and how it motivated her to become an activist for LGBT rights. Two plays, several movies, a documentary, and several songs have been made about Matthew’s death and its aftermath, and many people have been inspired to stand up against hate. In October 2009, the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama. This legislation expands existing hate-crime laws to include crimes motivated by sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability.

“From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them and that is eternity.”
– Edvard Munch

Indeed, an entire meadow has grown from Matthew Shepard’s body. Flowers with names such as Equality, Compassion, Education, and Resilience. Let’s keep watering them together, so they shall not wither, but only ever grow and spread further.

If you want to know more about Matthew, please refer to Wipe Out Homophobia’s page about him here: Matthew Shepard R.I.P.

Sources:

Matthew Shepard Foundation
Matthew Shepard – Wikipedia
Matthew’s Place
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act – Wikipedia

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