Queer Ancestor Spotlight: Matthew Shepard

Queer Ancestor Spotlight
Written By White Rose Witching

This month’s Queer Ancestor Spotlight is deeply personal to me. The story and legacy of Matthew Shepard’s death functions almost as bookends to my coming out process and finding affirming queer community. I was just starting to realize I was not exactly like my other male friends when Matthew’s death became a national story. I traveled the inner journey of coming out to myself while his death rippled through the politics of the United States. I came out publicly shortly before the act bearing Matthew’s name codified sexual orientation and gender identity in federal hate crime law. And I found myself on the other side of the historic legalization of same-sex marriage as a married gay man, surrounded and supported by queer community in the Washington National Cathedral as we gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of Matthew as his ashes were finally laid to rest.

Matthew Shepard was born on December 1, 1976 in Casper, Wyoming to Dennis and Judy Shepard. He attended school in Casper until his junior year of high school when his family relocated to Saudi Arabia for his father’s job. In 1995 he graduated from the American School in Switzerland where he was involved in theater, learned German and Italian, and fostered an interest in politics. He later pursued political science at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming. Friends and family described Matthew as kind, warm-hearted, and approachable however he dealt with depression and panic attacks as a result of being the victim of sexual assault during a class trip to Morocco in 1995.

On October 6, 1998 Matthew was approached by two men, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson at the Fireside Lounge in Laramie. There are conflicting accounts on whether the men knew Matthew was gay or whether the men solicited Matthew for a sexual encounter, but McKinney and Henderson maintain they intended to rob Matthew. They drove to a remote area where they robbed Matthew, pistol-whipped him hard enough to fracture his skull, tied him to a barbed wire fence, tortured him and left him to die. McKinney and Henderson returned to town where they were later arrested for a separate assault, at which point officers found the bloody gun as well as Matthew’s shoes and credit card in their car.

Matthew remained tied to the fence for the next eighteen hours, slipping into a coma. He was discovered by a cyclist, Aaron Kreifels, who at first mistook him for a scarecrow. When first responders arrived they noticed that Matthew was covered in blood except for where his tears had partially cleansed his face. He was transported to Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie before being transported to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. During this time it was discovered he was HIV-positive.

His wounds were too severe for doctors to operate. He remained on life support for six days until he died at 12:53am on October 12, 1998 at the age of 21.

Matthew’s death sparked a cultural change in the discussion of LGBTQ+ equality and safety in the United States. His mother, Judy Shepard, became a fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ youth and founded the Matthew Shepard Organization with her husband in December 1998. His death brought attention to the lack of protections for the LGBTQ+ community in state and federal hate crimes legislation. In 2009, after over a decade of being blocked by Republicans and conservatives in Congress and the White House, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed by President Barack Obama on October 28, 2009.

Matthew’s death also left a mark on popular culture. Many documentaries, films, and plays have been made about Matthew’s life, death, the trial of his murderers, and his impact on the country. The most famous of these is likely The Laramie Project, a play about the reaction to Matthew’s murder comprised of short scenes inspired by hundred’s of interviews with Laramie residents. Matthew also made an impact on professional sports. NBA player Jason Collins wore the jersey number ‘98’ in honor of Matthew during the 2012-2013 season, and came out as gay the following year.

On October 26, 2018 Matthew’s ashes were laid to rest at the Washington National Cathedral. The ceremony was presided over by the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, Gene Robinson. This was the first internment of a national figure at the cathedral since Helen Keller fifty years earlier.

White Rose Witching
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