Judy Shepard
Encyclopedia
Judy Shepard is the mother of Matthew Shepard
, a 21-year-old student at University of Wyoming
who was murdered in October 1998. She and her husband are co-founders of the Matthew Shepard Foundation
, and advocates for LGBT-rights.
(though they have also lived in Saudi Arabia) since 1975. Judy is the mother of two sons, Matthew Wayne Shepard
(1976–1998) and Logan Shepard (born 1981).
. Matthew Shepard died six days later at Poudre Valley Hospital
in Fort Collins, Colorado
on October 12, 1998 at age 21. During the later murder trial, witnesses stated that Shepard was targeted because he was homosexual. In response, Judy Shepard created the Matthew Shepard Foundation
. The foundation's purpose is to advance "social justice
, diversity awareness and education
, and equality for homosexual, bisexual and trans-sexual people".
She is the founding president of the Foundation's Board of Directors
, and served as the first executive director
from 1999 to 2009. On March 20, 2007, the Matthew Shepard Act
, a bill which would expand federal hate-crimes legislation to include sexual orientation, was introduced as federal bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Congress, sponsored by Democrat John Conyers
with 171 co-sponsors. Judy and her husband Dennis were present at the introduction ceremony. That bill did not pass however, after then-President George W. Bush
threatened to veto the bill if it passed.
As of 2009, she is still board president of the foundation, and as a result she travels across the United States speaking to different audiences. In 2009, she published a memoir, The Meaning of Matthew about how her family dealt with his murder, the subsequent court cases, the media coverage, and their work to advance civil rights
over the last decade.
In May 2009, Shepard met with President Barack Obama
, where he promised her he would help pass the Matthew Shepard Act. There was controversy later that month, when the Matthew Shepard Act was being debated in the House of Representatives, and while Judy Shepard was in the audience, Representative Virginia Foxx
, R-N.C., called the murder of Matthew Shepard a "hoax", a statement which she later apologized for.
On October 11, 2009, she addressed a rally for LGBT rights in the United States Capitol
, at the National Equality March
, saying "I'm here today because I lost my son to hate.... No one has the right to tell my son whether or not he can work anywhere. Whether or not he can live wherever he wants to live and whether or not he can be with the one person he loves -- no one has that right. We are all Americans. We are all equal Americans, gay, straight or whatever" On the Saturday night before, President Obama addressed the Human Rights Campaign
in the Capitol and mentioned his promise to Judy Shepard in the Oval Office
, in his reassertion of his commitment to pass legislation important to the LGBT community.
In 2009, she authored the book The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed about the incident and its repercussions.
On October 22, 2009, the United States Congress
passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (Matthew Shepard Act for short), and on October 28, 2009, President Obama signed the legislation into law.
Elizabeth Birch Equality Award. The award was presented to Ms. Shepard by Elizabeth Birch
, herself, on October 3, 2009 in Dallas, Texas
. The Birch Award is presented each year at the Black Tie Dinner to someone who has made a significant impact nationally on the fight for LGBT equality, and is named in honor of former Human Rights Campaign Executive Director Elizabeth Birch.
On Monday, February 15, 2010; Heritage of Pride
, the producers of the annual LGBT Pride March
down 5th Avenue in New York City
announced that Judy Shepard has been selected as a Grand Marshal for the March along with Lt. Dan Choi
previously announced.
Matthew Shepard
Matthew Wayne Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998...
, a 21-year-old student at University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
who was murdered in October 1998. She and her husband are co-founders of the Matthew Shepard Foundation
Matthew Shepard Foundation
The Matthew Shepard Foundation is an LGBT rights group founded in December 1998 by Dennis and Judy Shepard in memory of their 21-year-old son, Matthew, who was murdered in Wyoming in October 1998.-The Matthew Shepard Point Scholarship:...
, and advocates for LGBT-rights.
Personal life
Judy and her husband, Dennis Shepard, have lived in Casper, WyomingCasper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
(though they have also lived in Saudi Arabia) since 1975. Judy is the mother of two sons, Matthew Wayne Shepard
Matthew Shepard
Matthew Wayne Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998...
(1976–1998) and Logan Shepard (born 1981).
Activism
On the night of October 6, 1998, Judy's older son Matthew was beaten and pistol whipped in Laramie, WyomingLaramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
. Matthew Shepard died six days later at Poudre Valley Hospital
Poudre Valley Hospital
Poudre Valley Hospital , located in Fort Collins, Colorado, is part of and serves northern Colorado, southern Wyoming, and western Nebraska. The hospital has 241 beds, and is a level III trauma center. It also houses 11 surgical suites, five intensive care unit beds, and a level III neonatal...
in Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
on October 12, 1998 at age 21. During the later murder trial, witnesses stated that Shepard was targeted because he was homosexual. In response, Judy Shepard created the Matthew Shepard Foundation
Matthew Shepard Foundation
The Matthew Shepard Foundation is an LGBT rights group founded in December 1998 by Dennis and Judy Shepard in memory of their 21-year-old son, Matthew, who was murdered in Wyoming in October 1998.-The Matthew Shepard Point Scholarship:...
. The foundation's purpose is to advance "social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
, diversity awareness and education
Diversity training
Diversity training is training for the purpose of increasing participants' cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills, which is based on the assumption that the training will benefit an organization by protecting against civil rights violations, increasing the inclusion of different identity groups,...
, and equality for homosexual, bisexual and trans-sexual people".
She is the founding president of the Foundation's Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
, and served as the first executive director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
from 1999 to 2009. On March 20, 2007, the Matthew Shepard Act
Matthew Shepard Act
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Act, is an American Act of Congress, passed on October 22, 2009, and signed into law by President Barack Obama on October 28, 2009, as a rider to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2010...
, a bill which would expand federal hate-crimes legislation to include sexual orientation, was introduced as federal bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Congress, sponsored by Democrat John Conyers
John Conyers
John Conyers, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1965 . He is a member of the Democratic Party...
with 171 co-sponsors. Judy and her husband Dennis were present at the introduction ceremony. That bill did not pass however, after then-President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
threatened to veto the bill if it passed.
As of 2009, she is still board president of the foundation, and as a result she travels across the United States speaking to different audiences. In 2009, she published a memoir, The Meaning of Matthew about how her family dealt with his murder, the subsequent court cases, the media coverage, and their work to advance civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
over the last decade.
In May 2009, Shepard met with President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, where he promised her he would help pass the Matthew Shepard Act. There was controversy later that month, when the Matthew Shepard Act was being debated in the House of Representatives, and while Judy Shepard was in the audience, Representative Virginia Foxx
Virginia Foxx
Virginia Foxx is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Republican Party. The district takes in much of the northwestern portion of the state and a portion of Winston-Salem....
, R-N.C., called the murder of Matthew Shepard a "hoax", a statement which she later apologized for.
On October 11, 2009, she addressed a rally for LGBT rights in the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
, at the National Equality March
National Equality March
The National Equality March was a national political rally that occurred October 11, 2009 in Washington, D.C.. It called for equal protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states and the District of Columbia...
, saying "I'm here today because I lost my son to hate.... No one has the right to tell my son whether or not he can work anywhere. Whether or not he can live wherever he wants to live and whether or not he can be with the one person he loves -- no one has that right. We are all Americans. We are all equal Americans, gay, straight or whatever" On the Saturday night before, President Obama addressed the Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
in the Capitol and mentioned his promise to Judy Shepard in the Oval Office
Oval Office
The Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, is the official office of the President of the United States.The room features three large south-facing windows behind the president's desk, and a fireplace at the north end...
, in his reassertion of his commitment to pass legislation important to the LGBT community.
In 2009, she authored the book The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed about the incident and its repercussions.
On October 22, 2009, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (Matthew Shepard Act for short), and on October 28, 2009, President Obama signed the legislation into law.
Honors and awards
In 2009, Judy Shepard received the Black Tie DinnerBlack Tie Dinner
Black Tie Dinner is a formal charity dinner held each year in Dallas, Texas to raise money for the North Texas gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. The first dinner was held in 1982. Since its inception, Black Tie Dinner has remained the largest GLBT fund-raising dinner in the...
Elizabeth Birch Equality Award. The award was presented to Ms. Shepard by Elizabeth Birch
Elizabeth Birch
Elizabeth Birch is an American attorney and former corporate executive who chaired the board of directors of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force from 1992-1994...
, herself, on October 3, 2009 in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. The Birch Award is presented each year at the Black Tie Dinner to someone who has made a significant impact nationally on the fight for LGBT equality, and is named in honor of former Human Rights Campaign Executive Director Elizabeth Birch.
On Monday, February 15, 2010; Heritage of Pride
Heritage of Pride
Heritage of Pride is a wholly volunteer-managed, non-partisan, tax-exempt, non-profit organization that organizes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride events in New York City to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots...
, the producers of the annual LGBT Pride March
Gay Pride Parade (New York City)
The Gay Pride March is an annual march more commonly referred to as the Pride Parade in New York City, traversing southward down Fifth Avenue and ending at Greenwich Village...
down 5th Avenue in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
announced that Judy Shepard has been selected as a Grand Marshal for the March along with Lt. Dan Choi
Dan Choi
Daniel "Dan" Choi is a former American infantry officer in the United States Army who served in combat in the Iraq war during 2006-2007...
previously announced.