Judy and Dennis Shepard, co-founders of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, issued the following statement today in response to ongoing events at McCormick Junior High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming: “We have been heartsick for everyone at McCormick and in the Cheyenne community since we first heard that a group of students posted blatantly racist and homophobic…
Whom We’re Looking For The Matthew Shepard Foundation (MSF), an LGBTQ+ oriented national civil rights organization based in Denver, is looking for an experienced, creative, well-connected communication professional as our next Communications Officer. You’ll be putting your strong passion for civil rights and social change to work for an organization that seeks to “Replace Hate…
On Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump gave his State of the Union address to Congress. While the President made tributes to many people who have sacrificed so much for their country, he inexplicably left out many who are continually harmed by his administration’s policies. As President Trump honored those who were taken from their families…
Friends: By now, you may have heard the news out of Chicago. Early this morning, Empire star Jussie Smollett reported to Chicago Police, he was attacked in a racist and homophobic hate crime while leaving a restaurant. Details are still emerging, but CPD said it received a report that two men in ski masks attacked…
You must be as outraged as we are. Again. This morning, we learned that Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision, allowed the Trump Administration to continue their policy barring most transgender people from being allowed to serve openly in the nation’s armed forces, even as the policy’s constitutionality has yet to be decided. To our…
Friends: We simply could not have asked for a more moving and historic year of honoring the passage of 20 years since our son Matt’s murder. From conducting a program in my 50th state (Alaska!), to hosting our most well-attended gala to date, to at last ensuring that Matt has a safe and beautiful final…
Friends: For twenty years now, the tragedy of my friend Matthew Shepard’s death has continued to change the fabric of my entire life. The day in 1998 when news broke about his kidnapping and beating shocked me into a stark understanding of the hatred that LGBT people like myself faced every day. My life continued…
Please join us this #GivingTuesday to raise $20,000 to further the mission of the Matthew Shepard Foundation and aid in funding our programmatic work to help the world #EraseHate. Currently, the Matthew Shepard Foundation has a growing list of municipalities waiting for our team to educate their communities and law enforcement on how to properly report hate crimes.…
Earlier today, the FBI released Hate Crimes data for 2017, and for the third year in a row, these crimes have increased. According to the Department of Justice, hate crimes have risen 17% with a sharp increase in anti-Semitic cases in 2017. However, one increase we are happy to see in this report is that…
CONTACT Tony Franquiz West End Strategy Team cathedral@westendstrategy.com (202) 776-7700 Matthew Shepard to be Interred at Washington National Cathedral Family of the Wyoming student, who was murdered in anti-gay hate crime in 1998, to inter Shepard at the Cathedral, a place where a safer, kinder world is envisioned WASHINGTON —Matthew Shepard, who was murdered at 21 years…