Let Us Not Forget

Every time we go out the door we face uncertainly, but for LGBT people we face an addition risk just because who we are. Today is the 14^th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard.

Speak Out: Remembering Matthew Shepard
OUT Front Colorado
By Judy Shepard

October is very hard for me.

It’s not that the early autumn in Wyoming isn’t beautiful. If you haven’t experienced the crisp air as the nights come earlier each day, or the last few cricket chirps of the season that follow the brilliant orange sunsets, you can’t really know the peaceful, quiet contemplation this time of year brings those of us who make our homes here.

But it’s those cues, these turns of the calendar pages, that remind me of the tragedy that autumn brought us 14 years ago, and start us reflecting on what our family and our society have learned from it.

But here he was in intensive care, the victim of a terrible, senseless attack at the hands of two other young men who had learned it was OK to hate others for being different, to victimize them, to disregard their humanity.
[…]
In the painful months that followed Matt’s death, we came to understand a lot of things we never knew before: about hate crimes. We learned about the LGBT community and its long struggle for acceptance and equality. Yet most of all, we learned about the fear so many otherwise good people had in their hearts about their gay neighbors, coworkers and family members.

Let us remember Matt and all the others who have been murder just because they had the courage to be themselves. We can speak-up, but we also need our allies to speak-up and out about the hatred. We need religious leaders to speak-up against other who are using religion to hide their hate and bigotry.

We must not only speak-up over the hatred for the LGBT community but for all hatred. We must speak-out against the arson fire at a mosque in Toledo earlier this month. A society is known for how it protects those who views do not conform to those of the majority.


Stop the hate!