Tomorrow, Oct 12, is the anniversary of Mathew Sheppard's tragic beating and death. He died a slow, agonizing death, tied to a barb wire fence, left to die in the cold Fall Wyoming night. His detractors were two gay bashes, guys he took an interest in at a local tavern https://www.matthewshepard.org/about-us/ Just reflecting, I wonder if this tragic event caused me to retreat into my closet deeper? I remember feeling sickened and numb when the news came about Mathew and how he was tortured. Tortured and being killed for being gay. .
I talked to Mathew's mom at a conference. I cannot imagine loosing a child in this way or any other. I am glad she has gone out to talk to others. And Mathew should not have died at all esp in the way he did. My heart goes out to all of his friends and family.
brainwashed....How could this have not caused closeted people to sink further back into their hiding place? Even though it seems possible that there were additional reasons for the attack, it hits the LGBTQ community right in the heart now, just as it did then. I have a friend who is out now, but who specifically says that he was so scared after hearing about Matthew Shepherd that it was another 2-3 years before he ever again considered coming out....David
I was just a kid at the time, and i never heard of this. But i also didn't even know that LGBT people existed until middle school, and even then i wasn't aware that i liked girls not boys. I was clueless. Its terrible what happened to him. And now that sort of thing happens to trans people, doesn't it? I only read about it online by chance, its not in the news. Its scary. I hope someday we live in a world where, for the most part, being LGBT doesn't matter anymore.
quebec (or David) I reflect on my past a lot. It's my way of finding trauma in my past so I can address said trauma and get over it. I distinctly remember feeling, I think on a subconscious level, (I didn't consciously know I was gay at the time of his death) very scared and numb. It's my theory the tragic event talked to my subconscious level directly. There's way more to how I reacted to his death, but I think you get the idea. Thanks for the reply.
If you read about Mathew Sheppard when as he was growing up, you will learn how bullied he was. My heart pains for what he had to endure.
I stumbled across a book about Matthew and read the intro to his story. I was deeply touched by how cruel people can be to someone different.
Its the story of humanity sadly. The whole in group and out group mentality can wreak havoc on the species. I remember the name mentioned somewhere but I don't feel anything when I hear it. Probably because I didn't know him personally or that you just "expect it" among gay people. Though that last bit is tragic, that I "expect" this to happen to us. Sigh
I was going to college in Laramie, WY when this happened. I am now certain this tragedy as well as the general experience of growing up in small-town Wyoming are the main reasons why I stayed in the closet so long. I have only been able to start processing my emotions from that time in the last year or so. So, so sad and horrific. I am also blown away at how Judy has been able to use her grief to engage in positive dislogue and change. It's so inspiring. In fact her work over the years to tell Matthew's story and ask for change and acceptance has probably led to me feeling safe enough to be out now. So, thank you Judy, from the bottom of my heart.
I still remember going out and buying the Time magazine that had the pic of a piece of fence and the story of his death on the cover. I was 21 at the time. It is definitely inspiring the way his mother was able to channel such hurt and try to make something positive come from this tragedy.
For those who do not know who Judy is, Judy is Mathew's mother. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_Shepard
The Golden rule goes a long long way. Too many ignore this rule and hurt others at will. Mathew you life was shorter than I would have liked it to be. People can be so cruel
