| What makes it historical? |
Matthew Shepard started school at the University of Wyoming in 1998, studying political science and international relations. He had moved to Laramie after living in both Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, hoping that moving to a small town would help him feel safer after being attacked on a trip to Morocco. He was very active in his school’s LGBT student alliance.
On the night of October 12, 1998, two men kidnapped Mr. Shepard from a bar, drove him out of town, beat him with a rifle, and left him to die in the cold! His murder sent shock and outrage across the country because at that time, crimes against LGBT folks were not considered hate crimes.
Because of Matthew Shepard’s murder, though, thousands decided to come out of the closet and the conversation about LGBT equality took a new forefront in the national dialogue. He became a rallying point for LGBT activists! Laramie became the only city in Wyoming to implement a Non-Discrimination Ordinance against folks in the LGBT community! Most recently, in 2009, President Obama expanded federal protections to LGBT folks by signing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, reclassifying crimes against LGBT folks as hate crimes, a higher priority for FBI investigations! |
