BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Judy Shepard, mother of hate crime victim Matthew Shepard, will give the keynote speech on the acceptance of gay rights and equality on March 5 at 8 p.m. in the Hansen Student Center (300 E. Beecher Street).
This event is part of Illinois Wesleyan University’s annual Gender Issues Week which sets out to inform, educate and provide programs dealing with issues pertinent to women and men, and it is free and open to the public.
On October 8, 1998, Matthew Shepard, an openly gay man from Wyoming, was murdered in his college town of Laramie, Wyo. His death was the result of a hate crime and his mother, Judy Shepard, has since then committed her life to fighting for gay rights. His death was also the inspiration for the HBO movie turned play, The Laramie Project.
In May of 1999 Shepard testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act where she said, “I can assure opponents of this legislation firsthand, it was not words or thoughts, but violent acts that killed my son.”