The Matthew Shepard Story: An American Hate Crime : 25 Years On

It is so very hard to realize that it has been 25 years since gay teenager Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered. Partly due to the unceasing work that his mother Judy Shepard has done to help our community become a safer place. Aided by Matthew’s father Dennis the pair used their grief to change things for the better for all of us.

They created The Matthew Shepard Foundation. with the aim to honor Matthew in a manner that was appropriate to his dreams, beliefs, and aspirations, and the Foundation seeks to “Replace Hate with Understanding, Compassion, & Acceptance” through its varied educational, outreach, and advocacy programs and by continuing to tell Matthew’s story.

As next month marks a quarter century since his passing. In honor of his life and in remembrance of his death Investigation Discovery TV announced today a two-hour documentary special, The Matthew Shepard Story: An American Hate Crime which will honor his life and highlight his legacy, is set to premiere on Monday, October 9.

If you are too young to know about Matthew, you should know he was a gay college student who was brutally tortured and left for dead in Wyoming. It was a shocking and horrifying crime that captured the nation’s attention and led to a debate about the discrimination, danger, and violence that many LGBTQ+ Americans face.

Jason Sarlanis, President, Turner Networks said “Matthew’s story remains just as heart-wrenching and relevant today as it was 25 years ago. This tragedy ignited an incredibly emotional and influential chapter in the fight against LGBTQ+ discrimination that brought great progress. By revisiting Matthew’s story, we hope to educate a whole new generation and underscore the power love and acceptance play in continuing the fight against violence and discrimination in all its forms

The film which really makes for compulsory viewing, features interviews with a range of people affected by his passing including friends and allies, local journalists and community members. Also, celebrities share how the hate crime impacted them including Rosie O’Donnell, Andrew Rannells, and Adam Lambert. The film will also highlight both how things changed in the aftermath of his murder and how far we still have to go.

Queerguru had the very distinct honor of talking with Judy Shepard in the summer of 2014 about Matthew’s legacy and her hopes for the future. We are sharing this again now, as she is not only a tireless activist for our community, but she is probably one of the most decent human beings we will ever have the pleasure to meet. https://queerguru.com/judy-shepard-there-was-so-much-more-to-matt-than-the-way-he-died/

The Matthew Shepard Story: An American Hate Crime will premiere on Monday, October 9th watch the trailer below.