Matthew Shepard Remebered - 10 Years Later

It was ten years ago today that Matthew Shepard's badly beaten and broken body was discovered tied to a make shift fence just outside of Laramie, Wyoming. At first the boy who stumbled upon Shepard's body thought is was a scarecrow rather than the body of the 5-foot-2, 150 pound University of Wyoming student. In the intervening decade since Shepard's brutal death, LGBT Americans have made much progress. However, the forces of hate and intolerance that fueled a mindset that thought killing Shepard was acceptable still run amok causing more deaths and ruined lives. These forces are visible in the dishonest lying Christianists like James Dobson and Tony Perkins, as well as politicians like Sarah Palin who just last week vowed to "tolerate" gays or John McCain who opposes hate crimes and other legal protections for gays. These monsters could care less that we are living, breathing humans who know pain, heartbreak, love and desire only to pursue happiness and the right to live our lives as equal citizens. Often, I find it hard to even contemplate a mindset so filled with hate and intolerance. Box Turtle Bulletin has a good recounting under today's date of the events of ten years ago which I highly recommend be read in full. Here are some highlights:

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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.

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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.”

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He had severe brain stem damage which affected his body’s ability to control heart rate, breathing, temperature, and other involuntary functions. There were lacerations around his head, face and neck. He had welts on his back and arm, and bruised knees and groin. He had also suffered from hypothermia. His injuries were too severe for doctors to operate. They did however insert a drain into Matthew’s skull to relieve the pressure on his brain.

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The next time you hear some hate filled windbag like James Dobson and others of that ilk spewing their poison, stop and imagine the image of Matthew Shepard's brutalized body. That utter desecration of a human being is an example of the fruits derived from these self-righteous, horrible people. May those who trade in this kind of hate burn in Hell. Having children of my own, I cannot begin to imagine the pain Matthew's parents felt that day and continue to feel. I nearly lost a child to illness and that was terrible beyond description. To see your child wantonly destroyed due to needless hate, must hurt beyond belief.