Remembering Matthew Shepard

One of many killed for being gay.

Last Monday marked ten years since Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, beaten, and left tied to a fence for the crime of being gay. Sunday will mark ten years since his death from the injuries suffered in the attack.

The always on target Box Turtle Bulletin is running a series on the horrifying event. Jim Burroway has also included helpful links to news articles from 1998. Please read all of them to understand the fear that many in the LGTB community live with every day. Here’s an excerpt from part two in the series.

Ten years ago today at around 6:30 PM, Aaron Kreifels was riding his bicycle on Snowy Mountain View Road, just outside of Laramie, Wyoming, when he wiped out near the end of a rough buck-and-rail fence. In the fall, he severely damaged his front tire. Aaron got up to try to figure out how to get back into town when he was startled by what he thought was a scarecrow. He took a closer look and discovered that it wasn’t a scarecrow, but a 5-foot-2, 150 pound University of Wyoming student by the name of Matthew Shepard.

Aaron was further surprised to see that the bloody figure was still alive, though barely. Matthew was comatose, breathing “as if his lungs are full of blood,” Aaron would later testify. It had been a very cold day that day with a 30-degree freezing wind the night before, and it was now evening again. Matthew had been there for more than 18 hours, laying on his back, head propped against the fence, his legs outstretched. His hands were tied behind him, and the rope was tied to a fence post just four inches off the ground. His shoes were missing.

Aaron, in a state of panic, ran to the nearby home of Charles Dolan. From there, they called 911, and then the both of them returned to Matthew to wait for the sheriff’s deputy to arrive. Deputy Reggie Fluty later testified that the only spots not covered in blood on Matt’s brutally disfigured face were tracks cleansed by his tears. She told the barely breathing victim, “Baby, I’m so sorry this happened.”

As this election season reaches a climax, it’s worth noting that separate versions the federal Matthew Shepard Act passed both houses of Congress in 2007, but were ultimately dropped due to a veto threat from the current president. John McCain was the only Senator [conveniently] absent from the Senate vote.

If elected, Barack Obama has pledged to pass the Matthew Shepherd Act.