The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed

by Judy Shepard

Overview

"A courageous, eloquent, and devoted mother...gives us all a greater understanding of Matthew and the larger meaning of his life."
-Senator Edward M. Kennedy

Today, Matthew Shepard is synonymous with gay rights, but until 1998, he was just Judy Shepard's son. In The Meaning of Matthew, Judy Shepard confides how she handled her crippling loss in the public eye, the vigils and protests held by strangers in her son's name, and ultimately how she and her husband gained the courage to help prosecutors convict her son's murderers.

Heart-wrenchingly honest, The Meaning of Matthew is an unforgettable and inspiring story, chronicling one ordinary woman's struggle to cope with the unthinkable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780452296381
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/25/2010
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	102,291
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

JUDY SHEPARD is cofounder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which is dedicated to social justice, diversity awareness and education, and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. Shepard speaks across the country on behalf of the foundation.

Editorial Reviews

"A courageous, eloquent, and devoted mother...gives us all a greater understanding of Matthew and the larger meaning of his life."—Senator Edward M. Kennedy

“Gives us a chance to know the young man whose brutal death started a movement that inspired the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Law. Raw, honest and real, with some surprising new details never before published.”—Kathi Isserman, Curve Magazine
 
“Shepard writes in a quiet, graceful voice about love, acceptance, and having a hole in one's heart the size of a missing child… While Matthew became a national symbol for homophobic victimization, for Judy Shepard it is the story of a mother and the tragic loss of her son.”—Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide

From the Publisher

On the night of October 6, 1998, 21-year-old University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was beaten and tortured near Laramie for being gay. By the time he died several days later, this gentle, optimistic man had become the symbol of hate crimes in America. Since that day, Matthew's mother, Judy Shepard, and her husband have worked tirelessly for gay rights, traveling around the country to advocate hate crime legislation and foster tolerance. In The Meaning of Matthew, Judy writes with striking candor about her son, her grief, and her humane response to an unthinkable tragedy.

A mother's memoir of her young son, his murder and the effect on a galvanized public. Born on Dec. 1, 1976, Matthew Shepard died on Oct. 12, 1998, the victim of a murderous attack because he was gay. His death became a significant juncture in the cause of gay rights. Shocked sympathizers from across the country spoke out in memory of the small, vulnerable young man who was brutally pistol whipped and bound to a fence to die in Laramie, Wyo. Now his mother, who has become a vocal activist in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender causes, presents the back story to those tragic events. She begins with a simple portrait of a sensitive, empathetic kid who was into dress-up and playacting. His father was an oil engineer working in Saudi Arabia; Matthew was schooled in Switzerland. During a high-school trip to Morocco, he was beaten and raped. After returning home, he became lonely and clinically depressed. His two killers, intent on robbery, picked him up in a Laramie tavern and inflicted grievous injury to the innocuous young man. Never regaining consciousness, he died in a hospital a few days later. Life turned surreal for his family. In the media storm they rightly feared exploitation. There were instances of bigotry, but there was also a wellspring of public support and compassion. The author poignantly recalls the days after her son's death and the subsequent trials of the killers. "There are still nineteen states where crimes motivated by the victim's sexual orientation (actual or perceived) are not considered hate crimes," writes the author, "and there are thirty states where it's still okay to fire people because of their sexual orientation." Shepard is working diligently toassure that the Matthew Shepard Act, still stalled in Congress after a decade, gets passed, and she hopes her son's story becomes a necessary catalyst for change. Honest and inspiring. Agent: Jay Mandel/William Morris Agency

Kirkus Reviews