October 12, 1998
The death of Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old University of Wyoming student who
sustained massive injuries in a brutal attack last week, has galvanized the lesbian, gay
bisexual and transgender community in seeking hate crimes legislation that covers bias
crimes based on sexual orientation and identity. Shepard, who was found October 7 after
nearly 20 hours of being tied to a fence and left to die, had been beaten, bludgeoned and
slashed and was hospitalized in Fort Collins, Colorado's Poudre Valley Hospital until his
death on October 12. Shepard was allegedly targeted in a bar popular among gay men by
21-year-old Russell Arthur Henderson and 20-year-old Aaron James McKinney.
A press conference was held on October 13, 1998 in Wyoming to push for hate crimes
legislation which would enable prosecutors to seek substantial additional penalties when
charging those who commit crimes motivated by bias. Among those attending the conference
were: Wyoming State Rep. Wende Barker, Cathy Renna, GLAAD Director of Community Relations,
and Dan Hawes, Field Organizer for the National Lesbian and Gay Task Force.
GLAAD executive director Joan M. Garry pointed out that Shepard's murder took place on the
heels of the announcement by the Center For Reclaiming America and the Family Research
Council that they would be launching a series of television ads building on their anti-gay
newspaper campaign this summer, which promised "hope and healing." Speaking
about the Wyoming
incident, Garry observed, "If you think homophobic advertisements like those which
ran in our newspapers this summer are devoid of repercussions - think again. These ads
give people permission to hate."
On Wednesday, October 14, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), National Lesbian and Gay Task
Force (NGLTF) and GLAAD, as well as entertainment figures Helen Hunt, Ellen DeGeneres, her
mother Betty DeGeneres and Elton John met on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington,
D.C.. They remembered Matthew Shepard and renewed the call for the passage of the Hate
Crimes Prevention Act by Congress, which President Clinton first called for over a year
ago. Elizabeth Birch, executive director of HRC, commented "There is nothing special
about living a life free of violence and nothing right about opposing laws that would help
remedy this situation. Those who oppose hate crimes legislation are either burying their
heads in the sand or they simply don't care that thousands of gay and lesbian Americans
are being harassed and brutalized each year."
A website administered by Wired Strategies, a political Internet consulting firm, has been
set up to serve as a clearinghouse for information and coverage of the murder of Matthew
Shepard. Among the resources are an e-mail distribution list, an online discussion forum,
summaries and transcripts of stories reported on the murder, and an extensive list of
recent bias crimes committed against lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender individuals
over the past year. The URL address is
http://www.wiredstrategies.com/shepard.html.
To subscribe to the e-mail list, send an e-mail to john@wiredstrategies.com with your e-mail
address in the body of the message.
Thank you for visiting the Coloradans United Against Hatred Website