GLAAD STATEMENT ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF MATTHEW SHEPARD’S DEATH

(Thursday, October 12, 2023) GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, released the following statement on the 25th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard.

Shepard, an out gay 21-year-old college student, was brutally beaten and left tied to a fence in a field outside Laramie, Wyoming. He died from his injuries on October 12, 1998.

Statement from GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis:
“The inhumane attack and murder of Matthew Shepard is a scar in our nation’s history and a wound the LGBTQ community is still recovering from. Today and always, we remain hand in hand with Judy and Dennis Shepard, and all who fight for LGBTQ safety and acceptance.

Our worries that it could happen again remain as vivid as ever. 25 years after Matthew’s murder, we are seeing an exponential increase in hateful rhetoric and anti-LGBTQ violence. We need all voices to speak up against hate and violence, and for everyone’s right to be themselves, be safe, and be free.”

Additional research:

GLAAD: at least 500 anti-LGBTQ incidents from 2022-23, including murder, harassment, vandalism and assault

In 2009, the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was enacted, allowing the federal government to prosecute hate crimes, including those based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Movement Advancement Project:

• 22 states enumerate hate crime protections for sexual orientation and gender identity
• 13 states’ hate crime laws do not include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity
• 4 states and 3 territories have no hate crime law, including Wyoming, where Matthew Shepard was brutally attacked
• 17 states now ban the LGBTQ panic defense, formerly used to justify defendants’ violence against LGBTQ victims