The social justice event I attended was the screening of Matthew Shepard is a Friend of Mine on Oct 3rd. This movie documented the life of Matthew Shepard and the tragedy that ended it. Matthew Shepard was an American student at the University of Wyoming. who was beaten, abused, tutored, tied to a fence post and left to die by two men named McKinney and Henderson. According to
ABC News, "McKinney hit Shepard about 20 times in the head and face with the end of the pistol, Marsden said, before the two stole Shepard's shoes, got in their truck and drove back to town. Shepard was found the next day, 18 hours later, by a passing cyclist." The passing cyclist saw, "what he thought was a scarecrow lashed to a wooden buck fence on a remote plot of land. The scarecrow turned out to be Matthew, unconscious, a huge gash in his head, his face drenched with blood except where his tear trails had washed it clean." (
Vanity Fair) His mother described him as being beaten so bad that, "he was all bandaged, face swollen, stitches everywhere, his fingers curled, toes curled, and one eye was a little bit open." He passed away six days later from the severe head injuries he endured. "McKinney and Henderson were arrested shortly after the attack and charged with first-degree murder following Shepard's death," as stated on an
internet source.
Besides being a brutal torture a murder of an innocent victim, what is the significance of this death that allowed it to infiltrate national news and stir up action at the state and federal levels? The reason why this death got the attention of the media was because Matthew Shepard, the victim, was a gay man. As we talked about in class from
Privilege, Power, and Difference, heterosexuals have the privilege of not needing to be worried about being outed, bullied, or attacked like homosexuals. After Matthew Shepard's death, America was faced with the reality of this statement and many realized that steps needed to be taken to help prevent hate crimes like this from occurring again. Just because you don't agree with someone's lifestyle or choices, does not mean you can harass them of their "wrongdoing" or attack them to instill fear. Stated in
11 and Gender Fluid, in regard to the writer's gender fluid daughter, " I find myself furious and frustrated. It seems so basic to me: let her be who she wants to be. I remind myself that people fear what's unfamiliar." If only everyone could have this stance on the "unfamiliar." Every life is precious and sacred, and should be seen that way. In the same way,
All Lives Matter explains that minority groups should be respected just as everyone in the population. Love and acceptance should be shown to everyone.
The social justice event I attended was the screening of Matthew Shepard is a Friend of Mine on Oct 3rd. This movie documented the life of Matthew Shepard and the tragedy that ended it. Matthew Shepard was an American student at the University of Wyoming. who was beaten, abused, tutored, tied to a fence post and left to die by two men named McKinney and Henderson. According to ABC News, "McKinney hit Shepard about 20 times in the head and face with the end of the pistol, Marsden said, before the two stole Shepard's shoes, got in their truck and drove back to town. Shepard was found the next day, 18 hours later, by a passing cyclist." The passing cyclist saw, "what he thought was a scarecrow lashed to a wooden buck fence on a remote plot of land. The scarecrow turned out to be Matthew, unconscious, a huge gash in his head, his face drenched with blood except where his tear trails had washed it clean." (Vanity Fair) His mother described him as being beaten so bad that, "he was all bandaged, face swollen, stitches everywhere, his fingers curled, toes curled, and one eye was a little bit open." He passed away six days later from the severe head injuries he endured. "McKinney and Henderson were arrested shortly after the attack and charged with first-degree murder following Shepard's death," as stated on an internet source.
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