What does his name invoke in you?
I came out of the closet about a year before his murder. For me, Matthew Shepard's murder was the catalyst for an amazing time in the gay right's movement... it was a time when gays and lesbians from around the country stood up and said "Enough hatred and violence against gays! We're not going to let this happen anymore."
He became our poster-child for equality and the civil rights movement. His murder coined the term "hate crime" and the legislation against hate crimes.
But, now it's ten years later and a whole new generation of gays and lesbians are around... and I'm wondering what you think of him? Do you relate to him? Is he just a symbol or is he a person to you? Do you know his story or have you just heard about it?
I came out of the closet about a year before his murder. For me, Matthew Shepard's murder was the catalyst for an amazing time in the gay right's movement... it was a time when gays and lesbians from around the country stood up and said "Enough hatred and violence against gays! We're not going to let this happen anymore."
He became our poster-child for equality and the civil rights movement. His murder coined the term "hate crime" and the legislation against hate crimes.
But, now it's ten years later and a whole new generation of gays and lesbians are around... and I'm wondering what you think of him? Do you relate to him? Is he just a symbol or is he a person to you? Do you know his story or have you just heard about it?