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Around midnight on October 6, Matthew was
taken from a bar by two men to a place
about a mile outside of Laramie, Wyoming. There, the
men took him out to a split-rail fence, mercilessly beat him
with a pistol, tortured him, then tied him up onto the fence,
and left him for dead. He was found about 18 hours after the
brutal attack. When the bikers first saw Matthew tied
to the fence, they thought that what they saw a scarecrow.
Matthew remained in a coma until October 12, when he left
this world at 12:53 am with his family at his side. One of
the men who killed Matthew used gay panic as a defense.
Homophobia killed Matthew when he was 21 years old.
There is good reason to believe Matthew Shepard
was killed for for being gay. Unfortunately, Matthew is not alone. He
is not the only person to die as a result of fear and hatred of gay
people. In the few years since Matthew was murdered, other young
gay people have been killed. This web site is intended to help stop
homophobia in all its forms, including lesbophobia and biphobia.
By remembering Matthew Shepard and reflecting on what might have been,
we can understand the danger of homophobia.
To read about a Matthew Shepard Christmas ornament, made within weeks
of Matthew's death click here.
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