Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, will share her story today (Tuesday, Oct. 19) at 7 p.m. in the Health Sciences Building, Room 40.
In 1998, Shepard’s son, then a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, died after he was brutally attacked for being gay. A tireless LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender)-rights advocate, last October Shepard finally convinced the United States Congress and President Barack Obama to pass and sign into law the Matthew Shepard Act, which is a hate-crime law that includes crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
Today, she is the Board President of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which focuses on three primary areas: erasing hate in society, putting LGBT youth first and ensuring equality for all LGBT Americans.
For more information on this USC/PrideWestern co-presented event, click here.