Remembering Matthew Shepard: The brutal killing of a Wyoming college student 20 years ago raised awareness about violence against the LGBTQ community and led to an expansion of hate-crime laws.

• Author: Bubar, Joe
• Position: TIMES PAST 1998

Matthew Shepard wanted to make a difference in the world. When he was just 7 years old, he was already getting involved in politics, volunteering for an environmental group that was working to get his home city of Casper, Wyoming, to start a recycling program. In the sixth grade, he played the role of Abraham Lincoln at his school's history day and was one of the youngest members of Casper's community theater group. And as a student at Natrona County High School in Casper, he was elected a peer counselor and dreamed of working for the U.S. State Department.

"He thought it would be great to serve his country," says Dennis Shepard, Matthew's dad, "and to try to bring the same privileges and rights that he thought he had as an American to other countries."

But Shepard never got to realize his dreams.

Just after midnight on October 7, 1998, when Shepard was a 21-year-old senior at the University of Wyoming, two men kidnapped him and drove him to a field outside Laramie, Wyoming. They brutally beat him, tied him to a fence, and left him to die in the freezing cold--all because he was gay.

"It was horrifying," says Dennis Shepard, "the brutality of it and the lack of morality."

But in his death, Matthew Shepard became a symbol for the fight against bigotry and hate. The horrific murder made headlines across the nation and galvanized a movement that put a spotlight on violence against the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) community and led to more comprehensive hate-crime legislation.

Today, just a few months removed from the 20th anniversary of Shepard's death, important strides have been made toward combating hate and violence against LGBTQ people. Still, many believe the country has not come far enough.

"Matt's life and his death made such a huge impact. .. especially as it relates to the LGBTQ community," says Jay Brown of the Human Rights Campaign (H.R.C.), which advocates for LGBTQ rights. "But we know this work is not over by any means."

Inspiring a Movement

Before Shepard's death, many people didn't realize how much violence against LGBTQ people took place.

"I think that's why a lot of people were so stunned; they thought things were starting to change," says Brown. "And then they realized that being visibly gay could still be a matter of life and death."

The sheer brutality of the murder was a wake-up call. Reporters camped outside the hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, where Shepard lay in a coma for five days with tubes, stitches, and bandages covering nearly every inch of his face. As the story of how this college student ended up on life support began appearing on national news shows night after night, the hatred that had spawned the attack could no longer be ignored.

When Shepard died on October 12, President Bill Clinton gave a speech condemning his attackers.

"Crimes of hate and crimes of violence cannot be tolerated in our country," he said. "In our shock and grief, one thing must remain clear: Hate and prejudice are not American values."

Two days later, thousands of people gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to mourn Shepard's death and demand change. Politicians and celebrities, such as comedian Ellen DeGeneres (who had come out as lesbian a few months before), spoke from the Capitol steps. They urged Congress to create more federal protections for LGBTQ people.

Thousands more marched through the streets of New York City, and people all across the country held vigils. Many believed that they or someone they knew could easily be in Matt's place--that they could be the next person to fall victim to hate.

"Everybody saw something, regardless of their race, or religion, or skin color, in Matthew that they could see either in themselves or somebody in their family," Dennis Shepard says. "He was the kid next door."

But while mourners flocked to the vigils, so did anti-LGBTQ protesters. They held signs saying Shepard would "rot in hell" and screamed at Shepard's parents--and hundreds of others--as they entered a church in Wyoming for a memorial service on October 16.

A Crime of Hate

Police had arrested two 21-year-olds, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, and charged them with kidnapping and murdering Shepard. As the trial unfolded before a national audience over the next few months, more and more of the gruesome details of the killing came into focus.

According to police reports, McKinney and Henderson approached Shepard at a bar in Laramie on October 6. Later that night, they lured him into their truck by pretending that they were also gay. They then drove Shepard out to a field, where they repeatedly beat him on the head with a pistol, tied him to a wooden fence, and left him unconscious and bleeding. Shepard was so battered that a bicyclist who found him 18 hours later initially mistook him for a scarecrow.

McKinney and Henderson were convicted of murder and each was sentenced to two life terms in prison. Today, Henderson feels remorse for what he did.

"I think about Matthew every single day of my life," he recently told the Associated Press. "I think about him and every single one of those days that I've had that he hasn't had, his family hasn't had, his friends haven't had. I'm so, so ashamed I was ever part of this."

After Shepard's death, his parents and many activists were determined not to let his story end there. For 10 years, they continued to call on Congress to create stricter legislation that would protect LGBTQ people against hate crimes. At the time, the federal hate-crime law covered only race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.

"We felt we owed it to Matt to try to make life better for his friends and peers," says Judy Shepard, Matthew's mom.

Combating Violence

Finally, after several bills failed to win enough support in Congress, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act was...