Hate crime victim Shepard laid to rest in Washington
October 26, 2018
Matthew Shepard was finally laid to rest on Friday as his ashes were interred at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
The openly gay student's torture and murder in Laramie, Wyoming in 1998 became a rallying cry for LGBT activists seeking new hate crime legislation and a cultural lightning rod for homophobic discrimination.
"Many of you have been hurt by your own religious communities. And I want to welcome you back," said Bishop Gene Robinson in his sermon to the more than 2,000 mourners. Robinson made headlines in the early 2000s when he became the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, which is the name of the Anglican church in the United States.
"Gently rest in the place," Robinson said, choking back tears, as he welcomed Shepard's remains to their final home. Robinson also commented on US President Donald Trump's attempt to curb transgender rights, calling on people to stop the "forces who would erase them from America."
Shepard's father, Dennis, also spoke, saying, "Matt loved the church. He loved the ceremony. He loved the fact that it was a safe place for anyone who wanted to enter."
"It is so important we now have a home for Matt," Shepard added, according to the Washington Post. "A home that others can visit. A home that is safe from haters."
The Shepards have said that they held onto their son's ashes for twenty years out of fear that his grave might be desecrated.
Brutal murder leads to new laws
Shepard was a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming when he met Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson at a bar the night of October 6, 1998.
According to statements given to police by the killers, they recognized Shepard's sexual orientation at once and tried to "act gay" to gain his confidence.
McKinney and Henderson offered Shepard a ride home, which enabled them to drive their victim to a remote location where they beat and tortured him, tied him to a fence and left him to die.
He was discovered by a teenager riding his bike 18 hours later and brought to a hospital in Colorado, where he died on October 12. McKinney and Henderson were both convicted and are serving life sentences.
Inspiration for others
His death inspired the award-winning play and film "The Laramie Project," which also deals with the anti-LGBT hate group the Westboro Baptist Church, which picketed Shepard's memorial in 1998.
His murder was also the impetus for a raft of hate crime legislation at both US state and federal levels.
In 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the Shepard/Byrd act, expanding federal hate protection to LGBT and disabled individuals.