On Thursday, October 4th I attended a lecture by Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Wayne Shepard who discussed the murder of her son Matt.
Judy Shepard is the mother of Matthew Wayne Shepard. Matthew was an American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured and left to die near Laramie on the night of October 6, 1998. He was taken to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he died six days later from severe head injuries. Judy stated that the two men who murdered Matt befriended him in a bar and pretended to be gay. They offered him a ride home and once he was in the car they robbed him, beat him and left him for dead. The murder was motivated by anti-gay hate. Matt was only 21 years old when he was killed.
It was widely reported by mass media that it was due to him being gay. The incident became one of the defining cases of hate-crimes and was cited for passing hate-crime legislation. In response, Judy Shepard created the Matthew Shepard Foundation. The foundation's purpose is to advance "social justice, diversity awareness and education, and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people."
It was widely reported by mass media that it was due to him being gay. The incident became one of the defining cases of hate-crimes and was cited for passing hate-crime legislation. In response, Judy Shepard created the Matthew Shepard Foundation. The foundation's purpose is to advance "social justice, diversity awareness and education, and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people."
Since his death, through the Matthew Shepard Foundation and work with legislators, colleges, universities, and communities Judy and Dennis Shepard have carried on Matthew's legacy, advancing dignity and justice for queer and trans communities. Judy authored the best-seller, "The Meaning of Matthew." Later on, Judy leads a campaign for the Matthew Shepard Act, which expanded the federal hate-crime law to include crimes based on gender and sexual orientation. Judy offers an intimate look at how her life and the fight for equal rights changed when her son was killed.
While discussing Matts death, Judy started to tell us about James Byrd Jr. He was a black man who was murdered by three white supremacists in Jasper, Texas on June 7, 1998. On June 7, 1998, Byrd, age 49, accepted a ride from Shawn Berry (age 24), Lawrence Russell Brewer (age 31) and John King (age 23). Berry, who was driving, was acquainted with Byrd from around town. Instead of taking Byrd home, the three men took Byrd to a remote county road out of town, beat him severely, urinated and defecated on him and chained him by his ankles to their pickup truck before dragging him for approximately 3 miles.
Byrd's lynching-by-dragging gave impetus to passage of a Texas hate crimes law. It later led to the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, commonly known as the Matthew Shepard Act, which passed on October 22, 2009, and which President Barack Obama signed into law on October 28, 2009.
While discussing Matts death, Judy started to tell us about James Byrd Jr. He was a black man who was murdered by three white supremacists in Jasper, Texas on June 7, 1998. On June 7, 1998, Byrd, age 49, accepted a ride from Shawn Berry (age 24), Lawrence Russell Brewer (age 31) and John King (age 23). Berry, who was driving, was acquainted with Byrd from around town. Instead of taking Byrd home, the three men took Byrd to a remote county road out of town, beat him severely, urinated and defecated on him and chained him by his ankles to their pickup truck before dragging him for approximately 3 miles.
Byrd's lynching-by-dragging gave impetus to passage of a Texas hate crimes law. It later led to the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, commonly known as the Matthew Shepard Act, which passed on October 22, 2009, and which President Barack Obama signed into law on October 28, 2009.
Judy Shepard also discussed the importance of voting. She stated that "We can't have the change we want if we don't vote." She said every vote was important, for those who don't feel like your vote matters, it does. Judy stated that she's scared of what this world is coming to with Trump as our president. She claimed that she and so many others have put so much effort into trying to keep the LGBT community safe and now she doesn't know what's going to happen because of our president. She stated she's worried about every single one of us. The hate that Donald Trump brings terrifies her.
One thing I learned is that 45 out of the 50 states have hate crime laws. Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Indiana, and Wyoming do not.
Connections to readings:
"All lives matter" - In this article it states how two black men were killed because of the color of their skin. It connects to this social justice event because an innocent black man was killed for the color of his skin. Black lives do matter!
'Scwaamp"- In this article is talks about how some identities that are valued and privileged and some identities that are less privileged and not valued. It connects to this social justice event because of Matts identity he was murdered. He was not valued.
"August" - In this article, August talks about students who identify as LGBT in a school community. But even outside of the classroom students who identify as LGBT should be welcomed and accepted. This relates to the social justice event because Matt identified as gay and he wasn't accepted or welcomed. He was murdered because he way gay.
Links:
http://www.matthewshepard.org/ - Matthew Shepard Foundation website
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aF6dn4fAuc - YouTube video of Judy Speaking about Matt and Trump
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/26/the-truth-behind-americas-most-famous-gay-hate-murder-matthew-shepard- site about Matts death
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