GLAAD Works with Advocates Across the Country to Honor Matthew Shepard

October 13, 2008

As I posted on Friday, in honor of Matthew’s memory and the legacy he has left behind, we at GLAAD launched a project to get those stories told – to look at where we were ten years ago, where we are today and where we still need to go.

Collaborating with folks from across the country we went to work writing, editing and pitching editorials and op-ed pieces to newspapers in almost every state in the nation.

This comprehensive approach – to tell Matthew’s story nation-wide, but uniquely in different communities around the country – is intended to raise awareness on the local level of the continued violence against gay and transgender people.

Below are some of the placements GLAAD has helped to secure this week. We will be posting more as the become available to us online.

ALABAMA

“Alabama Voices: Expand Alabama Statute”
by Danny Upton, Executive Director of Equality Alabama
Montgomery Advertiser
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081007/OPINION0101/810070301/1006/OPINION

“State’s hate-crime law not inclusive”
by Danny Upton, Executive Director of Equality Alabama
Birmingham News
http://www.al.com/opinion/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/opinion/122319450782970.xml&coll=2

ALASKA

“Remembering Matthew Shepard”
by Leslie Wood
Juneau Empire
http://juneauempire.com/stories/101208/opi_343196289.shtml

CALIFORNIA

“Fear, ignorance, hatred take lives of Shepard and King”
by Jay Smith, Executive Director of the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance in Ventura
Ventura County Star
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/oct/05/fear-ignorance-hatred-take-lives-of-shepard-and/

COLORADO

“Ten years after Matthew Shepard, no change”
by Monica Zapata, sister of hate crime victim Angie Zapata
Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_10661633

“A hate crime remembered”
Editorial inspired by GLAAD’s recent work with the paper
Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_10671319

“Judy Shepard statement on the 10th anniversary of Matthew’s death”
by Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard
Rocky Mountain News
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/oct/09/judy-shepard-statement-10th-anniversary-matthews-d/

CONNECTICUT

“Stand Against Hate Crimes: On Shepard Killing Anniversary, Federal Law Still Needed”
By Rev. Terry Davis, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Hartford
Hartford Courant
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-commentarydavis1012.artoct12,0,7489785.story

OKLAHOMA

“It’s time for Oklahoma to act”
by Laura Belmonte, President of Oklahomans for Equality
Tulsa World
http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/article.aspx?subjectID=65&articleID=20081009_65_A13_Tiekay288739

MARYLAND

“10 Years After Matthew Shepard”
by Mark Jason McLaurin, Director of Legislative Affairs, Public Justice Center
Baltimore Examiner
http://www.baltimoreexaminer.com/opinion/Ten_years_after_Matthew_Shepard.html

MISSISSIPPI

“Remembering Matthew Shepard”
by Jamie Carter, Vice-President of the University of Mississippi Gay Straight Alliance
The Daily Mississippian
http://www.thedmonline.com/remembering_matthew_shepard

MONTANA

Letter: Shepard’s death galvanized a movement
by Ken Spencer
The Missoulian
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/10/12/letters/more/letters83.txt

SOUTH CAROLINA

“Ten years later, still no hate crime law”
by Elke Kennedy, mother of hate crime victim Sean Kennedy
The State
http://www.thestate.com/editorial-columns/story/548100.html

“South Carolina still doesn’t have a hate crimes law”
by Elke Kennedy
Greenville News
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081011/OPINION/810110311/1004/NEWS01

UTAH

“Remembering Matthew Shepard”
by Milton Monson
The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_10697785?source=email

VERMONT

“My Turn: Pass law to protect LGBTQ people”
by Kara DeLeonardis, Executive Director of RU12? Community Center in Burlington
Burlington Free Press
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081010/OPINION/810100303

VIRGINIA

“Virginia doesn’t protect gays”
by Dyana Mason and Mark E. Board, Executive Director and Board Chairman of Equality Virginia
The Roanoke Times
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/179597

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GLAAD’s Matthew Shepard Op-Ed Project

October 10, 2008

Matthew Shepard’s murder was a dark moment in our nation’s history. Matthew Shepard’s legacy, however, has been one that has acted as a guiding light. His tragic story has provided others with the courage to speak out, come out, and share their own personal stories.

In honor of Matthew’s memory and the legacy he has left behind, we at GLAAD launched a project to get those stories told – to look at where we were ten years ago, where we are today and where we still need to go.

The Matthew Shepard Op-Ed project led GLAAD to reach out to local partners in communities around the country and identify opportunities to get personal stories, the stories of other victims of hate, and updates on progress in fighting hate crimes printed in local and regional media outlets. We’ve successfully helped people in writing, editing and pitching editorials and op-ed pieces to newspapers in almost every state in the nation.

Working with our community partners op-eds and editorials have already been published in South Carolina, California, Colorado, Alabama, Virginia, and Oklahoma just to name a few. Many more pieces will be published today and through the weekend.

Remembering Matt is a charge we take seriously. Given the lack of media coverage of other hate crimes, GLAAD felt more needed to be said about Matt’s story and the legacy his family and the LGBT community proudly carry on.

As you will read, hate crimes are still a tragic reality and the stories of people like Sean Kennedy, Lawrence King, Angie Zapata and many other victims of anti-LGBT hate crimes need to be told.

This is an opportunity for you to get involved. We encourage everyone around the country to engage their local media outlets and submit letters-to-the editor responding to stories about the 10-year remembrance of Matthew Shepherd or to create a conversation in media outlets where none have happened.

We all have the power to honor Matthew Shepherd’s legacy by making sure his story, and the countless stories of other victims of anti-LGBT violence, are never forgotten.

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Religion’s Role in Shaping Conversation About Hate Crimes

October 10, 2008

Reflecting on the legacy of Matthew Shepard, I can’t help but be reminded of Rev. Harry Jackson’s 2007 attacks on the Matthew Shepard Act. The act would have provided much-needed hate crime protections for the LGBT community – but Jackson and other like-minded faith leaders stood in opposition of these critical protections on what they deemed “religious grounds.”

Harry Jackson's Campaign Against the Matthew Shepard Act

Shortly after Jackson and his High Impact Leadership Coalition launched their ad campaign attacking the proposed Act, Rev. Irene Monroe, a religion columnist, public theologian and speaker, made a compelling argument for why Jackson’s comments were inaccurate, manipulative and emblematic of what she calls an outspoken and fading group of anti-gay faith leaders in black churches:

“The tide is turning in the American-African community toward acceptance of LGBTQ people. And if black churches and faith-based organizations like High Impact continue to not accept us, it looks like the rest of the community will.”

Reverend Irene Monroe

Monroe is right to highlight the growing acceptance of LGBT people. While Jackson implies he is carrying the mantle for the black community, the views and beliefs of African Americans are too diverse to be represented by any single individual.

In a recent New York Times letter regarding race and marriage for same-sex couples, Alice Huffman of the NAACP had it right when she pointed out that any attempt by the media to frame the African American community as “monolithically homophobic” is errant:

“I have worked closely with many African-American community leaders and supporters of full rights for gay men and lesbians, including the right to marry in California. … Both blacks and whites have been divided on the issue, and race appears to be less of a determinant than age, gender and party affiliation on black voters’ views on marriage equality.”

I would heartily agree it is unfair to portray religious communities as monolithically anti-gay. Churches across America are actually moving to the forefront in promoting LGBT equality and ending violence toward LGBT people. Even denominations that do not allow ordination of LGBT people, such as the United Methodist Church, have adopted policies to curb homophobia.

We have many reasons to be proud of the strides our churches have made in the 10 years since the death of Matthew Shepard. There are many faith leaders who recognize the power of their words to either prevent the spread of LGBT discrimination or, sadly, to justify violence toward LGBT people.

When the Matthew Shepard Act was meeting resistance from organizations like High Impact, faith groups like the Presbyterian Church, Episcopal Church, and the Interfaith Alliance were advocating for the bill’s swift passage.

That’s why it is so important that the media continue highlighting the role religious leaders play in advocating for hate crime protections and stemming violence toward the LGBT community.

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Stop the Hate Benefit Concert to Remember Matthew Shepherd

October 10, 2008

A decade after his murder, organizations and communities around the country are remembering the legacy of Matthew Shepherd in many ways.

Campus Pride’s Stop The Hate program has partnered with the Matthew Shepard Foundation to put on a special benefit concert to raise awareness about hate crimes on college campuses.

According to the 2006 hate crime statistics compiled by the FBI, school campuses continue to be the third most common place for hate crimes to occur.

“We are very pleased to be intimately involved in Stop the Hate and this concert,” said Judy Shepard, Matthew Shepard’s mother and the Executive Director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. “I know that such collaborative efforts make a real difference on our college campuses, and in the 10 years since Matt’s murder, programs like Stop The Hate have made our college campuses safer places to learn and work.”

Since its creation in 2001, Stop The Hate has trained over 1,000 students, faculty and campus officials on campuses across the country with their 250 page curriculum manual. The trainings prepare participants to conduct workshops designed to raise awareness about hate crimes and bias incidents as well as develop effective strategies to prevent such acts.

Campus Pride’s innovative educational initiative Stop The Hate “Train the Trainer” program is dedicating their Fall and Spring trainings in North Carolina and California to the memory of all victims of hate.

Check out Stop The Hate’s PSA that has aired on MTV to over 700 universities and 5.5 million viewers.

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The Matthew Shepard Murder, 10 Years Later

October 10, 2008

It’s a story that’s still hard to tell. Shortly after midnight on Oct. 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old University of Wyoming student, was tied to a split-rail fence, savagely beaten and left to die in the cold of night. He was found almost 18 hours later by a cyclist, who initially mistook him for a scarecrow. He died six days later.

I remember first hearing the news reports back when I was still closeted, and thinking about how horrible it was, and also realizing–as so many other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans did–that the same thing could happen to me.
Matt’s murder sent the message to LGBT Americans that we won’t be tolerated, leaving people all over the country feeling vulnerable, unsafe and afraid.

But something else happened too. I also remember the news stories that came out, and how powerful they were because they talked about his family and showed a community rallying together. And it wasn’t just a few articles in the local papers and a passing mention in The New York Times. Matt’s story, Matt’s murder, Matt’s family, Matt’s community – they were in the national spotlight, making hate crimes against LGBT people real for the first time to many Americans.

It’s horrible that it took such tragic circumstances to have such an unprecedented conversation in the media about the LGBT community. And it’s even more disheartening that, in the 10 years since Matt’s murder, we’ve continued to see far too many brutal hate crimes against LGBT people. None of these violent crimes have garnered the same type of comprehensive, multilayered coverage that could – and should – have kept our nation’s attention focused on this pervasive problem.

And it’s a serious problem. According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), reported incidents of anti-LGBT violence increased by 24 percent from 2006 to 2007. Many states still don’t have inclusive hate crimes laws on the books, and LGBT people still aren’t included in existing federal hate crimes law.

In the meantime, many LGBT people have been harassed, bullied or killed. Gwen Araujo, Sakia Gunn, FC Martinez, Pfc. Barry Winchell, Rita Hester, Scotty Joe Weaver, Eddie Garzon, Billy Jack Gaither, Angie Zapata, Sanesha Stewart and Lawrence King are just a few of them. In some cases, media outlets picked up the stories at the urging of the families or the local LGBT community, but too few of them had a substantial impact on the national conversation.

Of these stories, one in particular stands out for me, and feels especially resonant right now. My 30th birthday is coming up, and two years ago at around this time, Michael Sandy was killed right before he turned 30, targeted for being young, black and gay. In my role at GLAAD, I worked with a coalition of groups to bring visibility to Michael’s death, but it hit close to home and reminded me of why it’s so important to work for cultural change.

Oftentimes we forget that many people are simply trying to find ways to live their everyday lives and at the same time be safe in their communities. We still have a long way to go before we’ve passed all of the necessary and important laws to include LGBT people in existing hate crimes protections, and many Americans don’t realize that it’s still a serious problem in communities all over the country.

Since Matt’s death, though more people have been attacked or killed, media outlets have not responded with the kind of multilayered coverage – political, legal, cultural and personal – that makes these issues real, urgent and immediate. This week, I’ll be celebrating a milestone birthday, something Matt and Michael won’t get to do. And that’s why it’s so vital that our communities stand together against hate violence, and that both LGBT people and our allies call the community and the media to action.

Crossposted at The Huffington Post.

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Ten Years After Matthew Shepard, Coverage of Hate Crimes is Lacking

October 9, 2008

It’s been ten years since news of the violent murder of Matthew Shepard first made headlines. For many weeks following those initial reports, coverage of the Laramie, Wyoming tragedy flooded major television stations and news outlets from coast to coast.

It was undoubtedly the most visible anti-LGBT hate crime in this country’s history.

To this day, Matthew’s story continues to be told and his death memorialized – the most widely recognized tribute being Moisés Kaufman’s internationally acclaimed play, “The Laramie Project,” which was later adapted into a GLAAD Media Award winning film for HBO. To mark the 10th year of remembrance, Kaufman has updated the play with an epilogue. The new version will be published and used in future performances.

One would think that in light of the widespread coverage of Matthew Shepard’s story and the conversations it caused on a national level and in our local communities, subsequent coverage of hate crimes against LGBT people would have increased.

Sadly, this is not the case.

Many times when LGBT people are attacked for being who they are, the media coverage – if there’s any at all – is limited. So far this week, GLAAD has highlighted just a few cases (Anthony Hergesheimer, Nakhia Williams and Sean Kennedy) that demonstrate how hard getting coverage of anti-LGBT hate crimes can be and the impact the media can have when they actually do provide coverage.

In the few cases where an anti-LGBT hate crime has risen to the national level of awareness, we often see problematic language and assumptions in the media’s coverage.

Take for example the coverage of Lawrence King’s murder. Earlier this year, the brutal and senseless premeditated murder of 15-year-old King became the most widely covered hate crime of the year.

On a Friday in February, Lawrence, an openly gay student from Oxnard, California, was shot and murdered by a fellow classmate. The attacker brought a gun into school and killed Lawrence because of King’s orientation.

When the news of the murder first broke, GLAAD urged the media to report on the intersection of anti-gay bullying and violence. When the Associated Press published a story which unfairly assigned blame to King for “flirting,” we called upon the Associated Press to reexamine the way it had covered the story.

Then, one of the most visible stories about the murder, a Newsweek feature article titled “Young, Gay and Murdered,” was published. The article received harsh criticism from many who viewed it as, similar to the AP story, blaming the victim. From the Newsweek article (emphasis added):

Larry King was, admittedly, a problematical test case: he was a troubled child who flaunted his sexuality and wielded it like a weapon—it was often his first line of defense. But his story sheds light on the difficulty of defining the limits of tolerance.

After collecting concerns from the community, GLAAD met with Newsweek to discuss them and provide feedback. The meeting was productive and Newsweek later published a follow up article that included many of the responses people had left for the newsmagazine after the article’s publication:

The article drew a massive response online–more than 4,000 comments were posted through the week. Many responded to reporter Ramin Setoodeh’s assertion that Larry “was a troubled child who flaunted his sexuality and wielded it like a weapon.”

Yes, he was a flamboyant kid who wore high heels and makeup. But many commenters felt this characterization suggested that Larry deserved to die.

Los Angeles based writer and attorney Peter DelVecchio also delved into the Newsweek criticisms in a blog post at The Bilerico Project.

The Newsweek LGBT sources interviewed were uniformly dismayed by the piece, believing it represented King as being responsible for his own murder. Ryan referred to a “tone of blaming the victim,” (a charge she leveled against media handling of violence against LGBT youth generally).

The Newsweek article “was framed in a way . . . that justifies violent action by people that is in line with the gay panic defense argument,” said Cathy Renna, managing partner of Renna Communications, a public interest communications firm focusing on LGBT issues.

“It was very close to blaming the victim . . .,” said Kevin Jennings, founder and executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), a national education organization focused on safe schools.

And recently, GLAAD secured an op-ed in the Ventura County Star highlighting the common threads linking the Shepard and King tragedies.

As candlelight vigils and benefits take place across the country this week in remembrance of the ten years passed since Matthew Shepard’s murder, we also remember countless others like Lawrence King and urge the media to increase responsible coverage of hate crimes against LGBT people.

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Shining a Light on Hate Crimes

October 8, 2008

GLAAD’s Media Field Strategy team gets phone calls and emails every day, from people all over the country. Often times, and unfortunately, they are related to hate crimes and violence against LGBT folks.

We here at GLAAD are often called upon when someone in their community endures anti-LGBT violence and they and their family hit a wall trying to get local officials to investigate or even the local newspaper to make mention of the incident. Unfortunately, the media tend to pay attention only when a hate crime is sensational or fatal.

While we honor those who have lost their lives due to anti-LGBT crimes, we also remember and share the stories of those who survived their attacks. Those who fought to find justice and those who are still fighting.

Stories of those like Anthony Hergesheimer’s of Pueblo, CO.

15-year old Anthony Hergesheimer after he was attacked for being gay by classmates in Pueblo, CO.

Anthony’s story is one familiar to many who are the victim of a hate crime. After a long day of being teased and even receiving a threatening email, the openly gay 15 year old packed up his things and began his walk home from school. It was a typical Thursday in April of 2007.

Then, the unthinkable happened. A car filled with six fellow high school students drove up beside Anthony and slowly followed him down the street. They taunted and yelled slurs out the windows. The name-calling quickly turned to violence when the boys jumped out of the car and began to beat Anthony.

“One of the boys got out and he hit me on my eye, right on my face with a full can of Lysol,” Hergesheimer said. “My nose just started gushing everywhere.”

The attackers caused so much injury to Anthony’s face and head, he required facial reconstructive surgery.

Also familiar to many who are victims of a hate crime, Anthony’s attack was followed by several days of inaction by both the local police and the school district. Frustrated by the lack of response and seeking justice, Anthony’s mother reached out to GLAAD.

GLAAD’s Media Field Strategy staff worked with both Anthony and his mother, preparing them for media interviews, issuing a press release about the incident and contacting local media outlets to inform them of Anthony’s attack and how authorities were refusing to take any action.

Anthony’s story became a prime example of how the media, taking their responsibilities seriously, can play a vital role in determining community and law enforcement response to hate-motivated attacks and help bring about justice and some sort of closure.

After GLAAD’s outreach efforts, local TV stations and newspapers began reporting Anthony’s story. Local authorities, under the spotlight and pressure of their hometown media, were forced to take responsible action. The result – the Pueblo District Attorney filed criminal charges against all six attackers and the school district suspended them as well.

Working with Anthony and his family, we were able generate a public conversation about a serious hate crime. This conversation, which began in the media and spread throughout the community, helped spur local authorities into action, while also raising awareness about anti-gay sentiment and anti-gay violence in Pueblo, CO.

Hate crimes still occur far too often in our country, and they often don’t get the kind of media coverage that’s needed to move discussion about the pervasive problem forward. That’s why every day at GLAAD we work with survivors, victim’s families, community organizations and local media outlets in order to get these stories told.

Helping to highlight the stories of and find justice for people like Matthew Shepard and Anthony Hergesheimer is a sad, but critical, part of our advocacy work.

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Share Your Story: Sean’s Last Wish Foundation’s Elke Kennedy

October 7, 2008

Elke Kennedy is a brave woman – someone who has turned unbearable grief into heartwarming action. She’s a mother who sadly, like too many others, has lost a child to a hate crime.

In the Spring of 2007, her 20-year old son, Sean, was fatally attacked in Greenville, South Carolina because he was openly gay.Describing the attack on her son, Elke wrote:

On May 16, 2007, at about 3:45 am, Sean was leaving a bar in Greenville when a car pulled up beside him, a young man got out of the car, came around the car approached my son and called him f**got and then punched him so hard that it broke his face bones, he fell back and hit the asphalt. This resulted in his brain to be separated from his brain stem and ricochet in his head. Sean never had a chance. Sean’s killer got back into the car and left my son dying there. A little later he left a message on one of the girl’s phone, who knew Sean saying: “You tell your f**got friend that when he wakes up he owes me $500 for my broken hand”.

Charleston, South Carolina’s, The Post and Courier reported on the attack:

At 4:55 a.m. on May 16, Elke Kennedy’s telephone rang. It was someone at the hospital urging her to get to the emergency room as soon as possible. When she arrived, she found her son on life support. At 11:20 that night, Sean Kennedy was pronounced brain-dead.

‘Until then, we were clinging on,’ Elke Kennedy said.

Since her tragic loss Elke has become a tireless advocate for LGBT rights, specifically around hate crimes legislation. She founded a non-profit in memory of her son called Sean’s Last Wish Foundation and has traveled across the country sharing her story and helping people understand the importance of hate-crime protections for LGBT people in her own state of South Carolina and at the national level.

Elke is an inspiration to many and we are lucky to have her here today to share her story and valuable insights on her journey.

What positive changes have you seen happen because of sharing your story and Sean’s story in the media?

I have met an incredible amount of wonderful people in the last 16 months. Each story I hear, each person I talk to assures me that I am doing what I need to be doing. I got over 75 phone calls this past Mothers Day from some of these people that I had met checking on me and wishing me a happy Mothers Day. For me it meant the world to get these calls showed me that I have made a difference for them.

I have met so many people who knew Sean (I never knew what an impact my son had on so many) and thousands more who have heard about Sean and his story who are now getting involved in their school, community or with Sean’s Last Wish.

Our educational panel has informed so many people about things they were never aware of and most ask what they can do to create change.

Every time we change one persons mind and heart, we make a difference – one person at the time – this is how we will achieve equality and equal protection for all human beings.

This is how I hope to realize Sean’s Last Wish:

No mother should ever have to bury her child
No mother should ever have to lose her child to hate and violence
No mother should have to fight for justice for her child.

You don’t focus solely on the passage hate crimes of legislation in South Carolina. Tell us about the incredible amount of work you do across the country.

Since Sean’s murder, I have found that our justice system is not working for the victim or the victim’s family, but for the defendant. In South Carolina over 90% of cases get plea-bargained. Sean’s murderer was only sentenced to 3 years, which means he only has to serve 10 months before he is eligible for parole. There is definitely no justice for my son.

Bullying, hatred, violence and intolerance negatively impact all of us, and I stand and fight for all human beings to be treated equally and have the same protection under the law. Every human being has the right to be happy – this is not only an LGBT issue – it is an issue of civil rights and equality.

I have traveled over 43,000 miles and attended over 50 events to speak about Sean’s case, educating the public, providing information and resources on what everyone can do to stop senseless, hate-motivated crimes.

How has your reception at home in Greenville been since you became a voice for LGBT issues? Has local media about LGBT issues improved since you began your work?

At first, local media did a good job to cover the case. However, the investigator stated that the case had nothing to do with Sean being gay, and I think it was pressure in part from the press, as well as politicians and the community in general that led him to make that assertion. It was played down from murder to involuntary manslaughter, and even our solicitor was against discussing or supporting hate crime legislation. People are afraid to acknowledge that there is a problem.

Media still shows up to some local events, but it never makes the paper and only some coverage makes the [television] news. It is no longer important to them.

I think it’s important to get the gay community to stand up together. The community as a whole has been very supportive, but many have yet to stand up because they fear they will face harassment, lose their jobs, or experience violence for speaking out or just being openly gay in public.

What advice do you have for straight allies in South Carolina who want to become involved in media advocacy or hate crimes prevention but aren’t sure where to start?

Get involved!!!

There are several ways to do so:

Educate yourself about issues that are important to you.
Get involved in your school administration
Get involved and talk with your local, county and city officials
Let your elected officials know you feel about the issues.
Speak out in groups, write letters and most importantly vote.
Go to Sean’s Last Wish website for links and more information about other organizations, like:
- South Carolina Equality Coalition (SCEC)
- PFLAG (local and national levels)
- GLAAD
- HRC
- South Carolina Progressive Network

What’s it been like working with GLAAD along your journey?

Shortly after Sean’s murder I received a phone call from GLAAD, offering their condolences. They described the work that they do and offered to help me share Sean’s story with the media.

That was in June of last year. Since then I have worked very closely with Cindi Creager, the Director of National News, and I have met many of the other staff in NY and LA. They have all been always willing to help. GLAAD provided me with media training and helped me with press releases at the local and national level. Anytime I need help they are always there for me.

I feel like I have developed a personal relationship with everybody at GLAAD including Neil Giuliano.

Sean’s Last Wish has been instrumental in helping me getting Sean’s story out and make contacts and network with other organizations.

What is in store for you/Sean’s Last Wish in the coming year?

We have just launched our educational panel, which is the first part of our educational program. I will continue to travel to as many events to speak out about the gaps in the laws and the need for education. We have been invited to about 14 universities across the state and the nation. So I see many more traveling miles ahead of us.

I have spoken at several churches and I plan to continue with that as well.

We are looking into the statewide South Carolina bullying law, we are trying to work with law enforcement on how to identify and record all types of bias motivated crimes, and we are supporting the startup of a network for GSA’s across the state to support and educate them on the importance of getting involved in local, state and national legislation. We will continue to work on building coalitions with different groups to realize change.

We are working to add a second-degree murder charge and to extend the voluntary manslaughter charge to close the gap that allows bias crimes to be unrecognized.

I wrote a chapter entitled “What I know now about losing a son” in a book that was just released called “Crisis” by Mitchell Gold and Mindy Drucker.

And I look forward to continue my relationship and work with GLAAD!

Is there anything else you’d like to share with people to help them understand what you’ve gone through and how you cope day to day?

Just that there are so many nights I can’t sleep, the nightmares I have, the hope I still have that Sean may walk back through the door and it was all a nightmare. The fact that I have not yet taken care of his room. I have to take each day and reflect. I just wish I had the chance for Sean to hear me tell him – “I love you,” and have that be the last thing he heard instead of “f**got.”

That is why I am here fighting this fight and working to make sure Sean’s Last Wish comes true.

GLAAD invited Elke to attend the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in both New York and Los Angeles as an honored guest. In his speech to attendees GLAAD President, Neil Giuliano, made special mention of Sean Kennedy’s story and of Elke Kennedy’s work supporting LGBT people (video below).

As we reflect on the 10-years since the loss of Matthew Shepard and the work his family does to bring visibility to anti-LGBT hate crimes, we also pay tribute to advocates like Elke Kennedy whose stories are all too familiar and intertwined with that of Matthew Shepard’s.
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CBS News – 10 Years After Matthew Shepard’s Murder

October 6, 2008

CBS News has a segment on their website remembering Matthew Shepard, with a retrospective on his murder, an interview with Judy Shepard and a look into what progress has been made to establish hate crime laws since his death.

From CBS News’ website:

College student Matthew Shepard was beat to death 10 years ago for being gay. Since then there have been outcries for tougher laws, but how much progress has been made? Thalia Assuras reports.

Watch CBS Videos Online

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Matthew Shepard – Ten Years Later

October 6, 2008

His story is one that is often told and one that should always be remembered.

It was shortly after midnight on Oct. 7, 1998, when 21-year-old Matthew Shepard, an openly gay University of Wyoming student, was tied to a split-rail fence in Laramie, Wyoming and left for dead in the cold of night. He was found almost 18 hours later by a cyclist who initially mistook him for a scarecrow.

Six days after being discovered, Matthew died from his wounds.

According to a coroner at the trial of his attackers, he “was hit at least 20 times by blows so hard they fractured his skull six times[.]“ The damage was so disturbing that jurors, “winced as they viewed graphic photos of [his] bloodied face[.]”

The brutal murder of Matthew Shepard shocked the nation and in the ten years since has become one of the most covered and discussed anti-gay hate crimes in American history.

Matthew’s mother, Judy Shepard, has devoted this last decade to sharing her son’s story and helping to change hearts and minds across the world. She established the Matthew Shepard Foundation with the goal to “erase hate” and make sure what happened to her son doesn’t continue to happen to others.

According to a USA Today profile on Judy from this past March:

In the past decade she has traveled tens of thousands of miles, slept in more hotel beds than she cares to remember and has given thousands of speeches to more than a million people.

10 years later, however, hate violence is still a pervasive problem. Just from 2006 to 2007, the total number of victims reporting anti-LGBT violence increased by 24 percent, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP). The number of anti-LGBT murders also doubled during that time period – only five murders less than the year Matthew Shepard lost his life to anti-LGBT violence.

Even with the progress made by the LGBT movement over the past decade, hate crimes continue to happen and yet sexual orientation and gender identity are still not included in any federal hate crimes legislation.

Yes, there is still a long way to go:

Shepard also points out what has and what hasn’t changed in the 10 years since her son was murdered.

What hasn’t is that hate crimes continue. She mentions the recent murder of Lawrence King, a gay 15-year-old junior high student in Oxnard, Calif., who was shot to death by a fellow student.

“This terrible incident underscores the fact that we cannot let hate go unchecked in our schools and communities,” Shepard says. “Our young people need our direction and guidance to prevent this type of crime from happening.”

After Matthew Shepard’s attack, GLAAD went to Laramie to help manage media coverage and assist in organizing student and community press conferences. By channeling the community’s collective grief into action, Matt was not treated as another statistic, but as a life lost too soon – bringing new visibility to the role of hate violence and opening up conversations around the country.

At the 19^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, we presented the Excellence in Media Award to Judy Shepard for the work she has done to promote full equality for the LGBT community through the Matthew Shepard Foundation. The Excellence in Media Award is presented to individuals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the LGBT community in the media.

“When they asked me to receive this award I laughed,” Shepard said in her acceptance speech which you can watch below. “I’m just a mom who does what a mom does when something really means a lot to them. They try to engage their friends and their community and everyone in the same fight. That’s what I did. I appreciate this award so much…[but] I’m no different than anyone else here tonight, or out there in the world, trying to make a difference.”
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By looking back on Matthew Shepard’s death and the countless other tragic incidents that occur every year due to anti-LGBT crimes, the media can play a vital role in determining community and law enforcement response to hate-motivated attacks – from local and state hate crimes legislation to the Matthew Shepard Act and beyond.

This week glaadBLOG will remember Matthew Shepard and his story by highlighting other stories the media continue to overlook, giving a deeper perspective on stories the media have only briefly discussed, and showing you some of the work GLAAD continues to do to help bring visibility to the many affected by anti-LGBT hate crimes every day.

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GLAAD Works with Advocates Across the Country to Honor Matthew Shepard

GLAAD’s Matthew Shepard Op-Ed Project

Religion’s Role in Shaping Conversation About Hate Crimes

Stop the Hate Benefit Concert to Remember Matthew Shepherd

The Matthew Shepard Murder, 10 Years Later

Top Stories Today – 10.10.2008

Ten Years After Matthew Shepard, Coverage of Hate Crimes is Lacking

Top Stories Today – 10.09.2008

Shining a Light on Hate Crimes

Top Stories Today – 10.08.2008

Share Your Story: Sean’s Last Wish Foundation’s Elke Kennedy

Top Stories Today – 10.07.2008

CBS News – 10 Years After Matthew Shepard’s Murder

Matthew Shepard – Ten Years Later

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