While watching how the Masterpiece Cake case begins to unravel, we got to thinking. If the president can announce that he is fine with blatant discrimination by saying businesses should be able to put signs up saying they do not serve the LGBTQ+ population, we ought to allow businesses that DO support our community to…
We have a lot to be thankful for this year. Family, friends, and you: our support system. We would not be able to continue doing this work without you. Thanksgiving arrives during a time of great polarization in our country. It is hard to not stay enveloped in stories of tragedy, abuse or malintent in…
Contact: Sara Grossman Tel. (303) 830-7400 x10 Cell: (727) 560-6476 Email: sara@matthewshepard.org Website: www.matthewshepard.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New York, NY — The Matthew Shepard Foundation and the onePULSE Foundation will officially be partnering to raise awareness and effect change in relation to hate crimes, gun violence, and how they affect the LGBTQ+ communities and society…
Contact: Sara Grossman Tel. (303) 830-7400 x10 Cell: (727) 560-6476 Email: sara@matthewshepard.org Website: www.matthewshepard.org Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/177290072818208 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Ft. Lauderdale, FL — The Matthew Shepard Foundation and MillerCoors have teamed up once again for a Stay Loud, Be Proud hate crimes training. The beer brand has really stepped up over the last several years…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee) held the first meeting of the “Enhancing the Response to Hate Crimes” Advisory Committee in Washington, D.C. on September 19, 2017. Recognizing the critical role law enforcement and community leaders play in…
The coffee was brewing, the bagels were fresh, and the conference room on the 28th Floor of the New York FBI Office was surprisingly neat. I was ready to host the quarterly meeting of the New York Hate Crimes Working Group. It was about 8:30 a.m. on September 11, 2001. About twenty minutes later, I…
This weekend was incredibly heartbreaking. The shocking and violent display of white supremacy in Charlottesville, VA is not representative of the Commonwealth or the country that I know and love. Marching with weapons and torches is not brave; it is a cowardly show of fear and not at all what Americans stand for. This is…
You must be as outraged as we are. This morning, President Trump tweeted that transgender people will no longer be allowed to continue to serve, or be accepted into the military. He went on to write: “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs…
Hate crimes in Colorado are reaching a fever pitch. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation just released its annual report showing the changes in hate crimes in the state from 2015 to 2016. The numbers are sad, but not surprising. And a few of the trends are downright chilling in their implications for the rest of…
Today, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke at the opening of a Department of Justice hate crimes summit. I was there, representing the Matthew Shepard Foundation, among dozens of other civil rights leaders and hate crime experts. Our message today in response is simple: actions speak louder than words, and we are listening closely. In…