Matthew

Today is the 10-year anniversary of the day Matthew Shepard died, six days after he was brutally beaten for being gay.

To mark the anniversary of Matthew's death, Barack Obama issued the following statement:

Today, we pause to remember the heartbreaking and senseless murder of Matthew Shepard. A freshman at the University of Wyoming, Matthew was a young man committed to fighting for equality and changing the world around him. He was tragically taken from us far too early, an innocent victim of an abhorrent hate crime, and never had the chance to see his dreams realized.

In the ten years since Matthew's passing, Congress has repeatedly and unacceptably failed to enact a federal hate crimes law that would protect all LGBT Americans. That's not just a failure to honor Matthew’s memory; it's a failure to deliver justice for all who have been victimized by hate crimes, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. All Americans deserve to live their lives free of fear, and as Americans, it is our moral obligation to stand up against bigotry and strive for equality for all.

Today, Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Matthew's parents, Judy and Dennis, and to all whose lives have been touched by unconscionable violence

Matthew's parents established The Matthew Shepard Foundation in the aftermath of his death. I got to meet Matthew's mother, Judy, when she was in Chattanooga as the featured guest at a fundraiser for a LGBT organization. She's a moving speaker whose incredible love for her son has been redirected into a passion for activism and an intense desire to replace hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance. After her speech, she patiently stuck around until everyone who lingered was able to have a few private words with her, and she demonstrated a real desire to hear each personal story that was shared with her. She made a genuine connection with so many people in such a short time, and left our area with many new Chattanooga friends. If you ever have the opportunity, go see her when she's in your neck of the woods. And in the meantime, here's a segment from MSNBC (via towleroad):

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Jeff's Letter

Jeff Whitty used to watch the Leno show but eventually got tired of Jay's fag jokes. So, he turned off his TV and wrote a letter. It's a good one.

April 20th, 2006

Dear Mr. Leno,

My name is Jeff Whitty. I live in New York City. I'm a playwright and the author of "Avenue Q", which is a musical currently running on Broadway.

I've been watching your show a bit, and I'd like to make an observation:

When you think of gay people, it's funny. They're funny folks. They wear leather. They like Judy Garland. They like disco music. They're sort of like Stepin Fetchit as channeled by Richard Simmons.

Gay people, to you, are great material.

Mr. Leno, let me share with you my view of gay people:

When I think of gay people, I think of the gay news anchor who took a tire iron to the head several times when he was vacationing in St. Maarten's. I think of my friend who was visiting Hamburger Mary's, a gay restaurant in Las Vegas, when a bigot threw a smoke bomb filled with toxic chemicals into the restaurant, leaving the staff and gay clientele coughing, puking, and running in terror. I think of visiting my gay friends at their house in the country, sitting outside for dinner, and hearing, within hundreds of feet of where we sat, taunting voices yelling "Faggots." I think of hugging my boyfriend goodbye for the day on 8th Avenue in Manhattan, and being mocked and taunted by passing high school students.

When I think of gay people, I think of suicide. I think of a countless list of people who took their own lives because the world was so toxically hostile to them. Because of the deathly climate of the closet, we will never be able to count them. You think gay people are great material. I think of a silent holocaust that continues to this day. I think of a silent holocaust that is perpetuated by people like you, who seek to minimize us and make fun of us and who I suspect really, fundamentally wish we would just go away.

When I think of gay people, I think of a brave group that has made tremendous contributions to society, in arts, letters, science, philosophy, and politics. I think of some of the most hilarious people I know. I think of a group that has served as a cultural guardian for an ungrateful and ignorant America.

I think of a group of people who have undergone a brave act of inventing themselves. Every single out-of-the-closet gay person has had to say, "I am not part of mainstream society." Mr. Leno, that takes bigger balls than stepping out in front of TV-watching America every night. I daresay I suspect it takes bigger balls to come out of the closet than any thing you have ever done in your life.

I know you know gay people, Mr. Leno. Are they just jokes to you, to be snickered at behind their backs? Despite the angry tenor of my letter, I suspect you're a better man than that. I don't bother writing letters to the "God Hates Fags" people, or Donald Wildmon, or the Pope. But I think you can do better. I know it's "The Tonight Show," not a White House press conference, but you reach a lot of people.

I caught your show when you had a tired mockery of "Brokeback Mountain," involving something about a horse done up in what you consider a "gay" way. Man, that's dated. I turned the television off and felt pretty fucking depressed. And now I understand your gay-baiting jokes have continued.

Mr. Leno, I have a sense of humor. It's my livelihood. And being gay has many hilarious aspects to it -- none of which, I suspect, you understand. I'm tired of people like you. When I think of gay people, I think of centuries of suffering. I think of really, really good people who've been gravely mistreated for a long time now.

You've got to cut it out, Jay.

Sincerely,

Jeff Whitty
New York, NY

I would add, Jay, that when I think of gay people, I not only think of many people who I personally know and love, but I also think of Matthew Shepard, whose story will always haunt me.

December 1

Today is World AIDS Day and the 50th anniversary of Rosa Parks's famous bus ride. It's also Matthew Shepard's birthday, and Matthew's mother will be in Chattanooga tomorrow to speak at Gayla, an annual event from Chattanooga CARES.

Rabbit, rabbit!

Matthew Shepard

On October 7, 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was robbed, beaten, tied to a fence and left to die by Aaron James McKinney and Russell Arthur Henderson. Shepard died five days later, on October 12, 1998, never having regained consciousness. McKinney and Henderson admitted during their trial that they attacked Shepard because he was gay. They each received two consecutive life sentences, without the possibility of parole and have both since attempted to justify their actions by claiming variously that they were on meth and that they were just doing as instructed by the Bible.
As the seventh anniversary of her son's death approached, Judy Shepard shared the following thoughts:

[...] In 2003, more than 30 cities and towns reported crimes against gays. The vast majority do not garner national headlines like my son's murder did. Sakia Gunn, a 15 year old lesbian was fatally stabbed in Newark, New Jersey on 5/11/03, F.C. Martinez, a Navajo, transgender 16-year old murdered in a bias motivated attack are two examples but the list goes on. We have so far to go, so much hate is out there. It must be acknowledged, addressed and erased before any of us are safe.

As we approach the anniversary of Matthew's murder it is appropriate to redouble my efforts to invoke a grassroots solution to this problem. It is a solution that begins with parents, educators, clergy and our communities as a whole. We have the opportunity to help our children understand and accept diversity before their school years begin and before hate can provoke violent actions. If we do our jobs correctly, it should never cross the minds of our children to harm someone, physically or emotionally, because of their gender, race, national origin, religion, disability or gender identity and expression.

Hate is a learned behavior. If a child is taught to hate and fear diversity, then the next place he or she expresses that hate is at school. Ten percent of all hate crimes occur at schools and colleges. Bullying in our nation's schools has resulted in countless acts of violence. The cycle continues until that child who is filled with hate becomes an adult citizen in your community and begins to teach others to hate.

Please help your children understand diversity without fearing it. Be an example of acceptance and compassion. The consequences of hate hurt everyone. It hurts not only the victim - it hurts their family and friends. It destroys the families of the perpetrators. Lives are lost, lives are ruined and lives are changed forever.