Judy Shepard

Gay Rights Advocate and Mother of Matthew Shepard

Wednesday, April 16, 2008
7 p.m.
WSU Student Union
Free & Open to the Public
No Tickets Required

On October 8, 1998, Judy and Dennis Shepard were awakened in the middle of the night by a telephone call no parent should ever have to receive. What they heard changed their lives forever. Their eldest son, Matthew, was in a coma after having been brutally attacked—because he was gay. The distraught parents met up with their youngest son, Logan, to visit Matthew in the hospital. On October 12, Matthew passed away.

In the aftermath of his death, Judy and Dennis Shepard started the Matthew Shepard Foundation (www.matthewshepard.org) to help carry on Matthew’s legacy by embracing the just causes their son had championed. The play and subsequent critically acclaimed HBO movie The Laramie Project was written about Matthew and is performed frequently to draw attention to gay rights and the ending of hate crimes.

On May 11, 1999, Judy Shepard testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. She has appeared in two Human Rights Campaign public service television spots aimed at curbing anti-gay violence and promoting a greater understanding of gay issues. In September 1999, she agreed to appear in another television public service announcement (PSA) campaign decrying hate crimes. She has also become actively involved with Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)

Judy Shepard is determined to use her grief over her son’s death to make a difference—to do what she can to ensure that no other parent will have to endure what she has.

This event is co-sponsored by
the Rainbow Alliance.