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Matthew Shepard
You know, people can be black or white, French, buddhist, English, American, Jewish, Catholic, etc. Collectively they share a heritage which is based on their history and values as a group. As gay males we too share a heritage. Though we've made great strides recently, ours thus far has undeniably been a heritage of blood, shame, hate, and fear. Nothing epitomizes or symbolizes this quite as well as the death of Matthew Shepard back in the late 90's.
I was too young to remember the story, but the topic came up during a lecture I was at yesterday and it was, well, heartbreaking. Matthew was a normal gay kid at the University of Wyoming who was attacked and murdered by two men for being gay. The men pretended to be gay, took Matthew to a secluded area, stripped him naked, chained him to a fence, and savagely beat him. He was found several days later by a passerby, still alive, but he eventually died due to massive head trauma and damage to his brain stem. The brutality of his death shook the nation, causing many to reevaluate their ambiguity towards the struggle faced by homosexuals. Hate crime legislation was passed, and though there is never anything good that could come out of the death of an innocent young boy, it caused perhaps a nanoshift of the nation's moral center on homosexuality in the right direction. But of course, hatred continued, as Matthew's funeral was protested by members of the Westborough Baptist Chruch in a classless display of vulgarity.
As homosexuals, I think its important to understand that its a struggle. Its a fight worth having. We each much act as ambassadors of our group and work to make our heritage one of PRIDE and not fear, hate, blood, and pain. Thanks and peace, J-
Kennedy was shot from behind .... the 9/11 demolitions involved no explosives .... the moon is made of cheese and the majority of human beings are not idiot sheep !
Feeling so proud and lucky to live in a country that is learning to accept gay people as just another type of human being (just like we treat people from other countries). I live in a very small New Zealand rural town where we have town officials and business men and women who are openly gay and are accepted just as someone from China, India, Philippines, Europe, and the USA or any other country with any other belief/culture. Seems to me (an outsider) that America has a lot to learn about accepting people with differing sexuality and skin colour. It's also ironic that those who preach love and understanding are also the ones who incite bigotry, hatred and total intolerance. For a country who boasts about giving the world "freedom", American has a lot to learn. As an "Empath", I strongly feel a bond with all of you guys on this site, and wish like anything that I could meet you all in person and get to truly know you all. Hugz to EVERYONE!!!!! from Phil the kiwi.
thanks for posting. i remember the name but didn't know it happened at the time as i was just a kid. hate still exists within our nation (not to mention the world) and we are members of society that need a voice and to be proud of who we are!
Most of my relations still live in Wyoming, including one I know is gay (definitely not out), and a Native American guy my cousin has been "seeing" on the down-low. Since they knew that I knew, the subject of Matthew Shepard came up, though most people there still refuse to talk about it. The phobic and outright violent attitudes still persist, especially on the reservation, and as my cousin and his friend warn, to be out or even suspected of being gay WILL result in beatings; that's guaranteed.
On the reservation, they don't beat then tie gays to a fence, they commit a hit-and-run as their target walks along the side of the road. It is attributed to just another drunk Indian (Shoshone or Arapaho), and few - if any - are ever caught. Since BIA reports as much as 80% of the population of the Wind River Reservation are regular users of alcohol - including those as young as 13 (and now meth has become big), no one looks any further. I don't know about Montana and the Dakotas, but I doubt it is any better, there.
Once the vigils, the press and the unwanted attention lessened and permitted the population to return to the old routine, the uncaring, judgmental, and hateful attitudes resurfaced as if nothing ever happened. Life on the reservations and the towns, cities and small cross-roads communities on the borders, are all tight-knit and closed mouthed. Outsiders are welcome for their business, but otherwise are looked at with suspicion. A single white male stopping anywhere within their borders is looked upon as a probable pedophile, while if he traveled through with his family (the state routes traverse this vast reservation), they may be welcomed as tourists with money to spend. These small communities and larger towns and cities bordering the reservation may offer what sophistication they can, but they are actually quite insulated from the rest of the county in thoughts, ideals, attitudes and prejudices. Whites (which include all races not Native American) and Shoshone or Arapaho are often still as hostile toward each other as they were at the turn of the 20th century, though they don't trade shots much anymore. On the other hand, the Shoshone and Arapaho youth can often be compared to two rival gangs. And amidst this turmoil, exist all the "foreigners" from out of state attending the University. And where there are "foreigners", there are foreign thoughts, ideas and actions that chafe, irritate, and antagonize the locals. An openly gay young male who has the "effrontery" to boast of his alien and perverse sexual proclivities shall become a target that all locals can aim at.
At a small gas-station market at an unremarkable cross-roads that suddenly appears on the Wyoming plains, there is a prominent sign that reads - and I'm paraphrasing - "Some people just need killin', but some darnn fool come along an' made it a crime!" This sums up the Wyoming attitude.
Thanks for this good blog Joel i just wish Phallussy and Jericho would se it like others se it.
I remember when this horrible thing happened to Matthew, it broke my heart to hear about it then and still does now. Such a tragedy!
Never heard of this guy.. I must watch that film..
I watched the below movie on Netflix. I could hardly get through it. I must have cried a dozen times.
Matthew Shepard Is a Friend of Mine (2014)
The movie Matthew Shepherd is a Friend of Mine has been successfully uploaded. http://www.gayboystube.com/video/481687/matthew-shepard-is-a-friend-of-mine-2014
http://www.gayboystube.com/video/306333/the-matthew-shepard-story
I have never heard this before. I have never heard of him but I read every word and I was teared up reading about how they beat him. For anyone to be beaten to death for loving someone is so............... its just so terrible. Thank you for the History lesson Joel, I never knew this. To know now that it took a wonderful person to die to get the world to change is terrible.
Well said Jericho....Jekyll and Hyde posting this blog
well said
There is a great movie about his life and death. It was done by a friend. If you ever have the chance to see it. It is a heartbreaking story not just of his death, but of his life. Mathew Shepherd was a friend of mine is the name...info at: http://mattshepardisafriendofmine.com/