Critical Reflection on Social Justice Event: Matthew Shepard

On October 4th, I attended the Matthew Shepard event at Roberts Hall on the Rhode Island campus. The event is in memory of Matthew Shepard, a young man who was murdered by two men acting on a hate crime. Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother, has spent the last twenty years preaching the need to end hate and promote acceptance. She spent much of her time at Rhode Island College urging the audience to go and vote. She believes that voting the right people into office will change the widespread hate in the United States. America has changed quite a bit since Matthew was murdered for being gay. More and more people are coming out, celebrities, government officials, and many more public figures. A person’s identity, gender and orientation has become accepted more and more over the years yet, there is still a problem. Adoption laws are all over the place, many states do not let gay couples adopt. In over 30 states, a person can be fired for the sole reason of being gay. Socially, the gay community may feel better accepted but the nation is not fully accepting just yet. This is why Judy was pushing that we vote, to put someone in office that wants equality, equity and acceptance for all.

I found it interesting how judy pointed out the privilege in america. She said that if you are not a white, straight, christian, male than she fears for you. That someone who does not have those privileges are a step behind everyone else. They are the people who could possibly experience hate crimes. As we learned as a class through the article Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan G. Johnson, there are countless privileges people of a certain gender, race, religion, ethnicity, are given over another. A great quote in Johnson’s article which explains the heterosexuals privilege over a homosexuals privilege was stated as, “Heterosexuals can move about in public without fear of being harassed or physically attacked because of their sexual orientation.” Matthew Shepard lost his life to the harassment and physical abuse of others who hated him for being gay. After his murder, many homosexuals have and will continue to fear for their lives because of hate crimes.

The family members of Matthew Shepard and the family members of James Byrd worked with President Barack Obama to create a hate crimes prevention act. James Byrd was a black man, father of three, was murdered in a hate crime against African Americans. After the deaths of both Shepard and Byrd, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Prevention Act was signed into law to assist jurisdictions in investigating a hate crimes act. That act can be found here.

I think Judy’s fight for gay rights is essential to educating people that gay lives matter too. Just like in Kevin Roose’s article All Lives Matter,  Roose explains how people are fighting for the lives of African Americans in the United States. Roose educates his audience that the Black Lives Matter movement has an implicit “too” at the end. It’s saying that Black lives should also matter. I think this movement is equally as important as the gay pride movement because gay lives matter too.

Judy urged us to go vote. To hold the people we vote into office accountable for their actions. To make sure our representatives are doing what we want them to do. She spoke about how people think tolerating one another is acceptance of one another. However, that is not true acceptance. Hate crimes against gay men and women are still happening today. Just a few years ago in Orlando, Florida, a young American, white man massacred 49 people at Pulse Nightclub. CNN covered this horrific event in multiple stories, one article, Orlando Shooting: 49 Killed, Shooter Pledged ISIS Allegiance gave an overview of who Omar Mateen was, the scene of the crime and the victims. Forty nine men and women lost their lives that day... forty nine. Just let that sink in. One man with all that hate in his heart ruined his own life to kill forty nine members of the gay community. This act of terror brought the community closer than ever with support pouring in from outside people. The hate crimes do not end there. Burke Burnett is a man who has also experienced a hate crime against homosexuals. In Huffingtons Post’s article, From Surviving a Hate Crimes to Becoming Dads by Erika Simonds, she writes about Burke Burnett and his husband, Justin Carrier’s adoption process. She informs the readers on Burnett’s survival of a hate crime and life after. Burnett was beaten and stabbed with a broken bottle than thrown into a fire by three men shouting anti-gay slurs. After surviving this awful event, Burnett has gone on to adopting two beautiful young boys and finding love and support in his religious community. Burke Burnett’s story gives others hope in overcoming the hate in the world and finding everlasting love.

The acts of hate towards the gay community have not changed. Judy preached on this issue and how we need to change it. She said, “We need to be good citizens, kind neighbors, and give a helping hand to those who really need it.” These three simple task are the steps towards ending crimes against hate.

Surprisingly enough, the month of October is also known as LGBT Pride month. On the government run website Liberty of Congress, you can find information on the history of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month. The different tabs on the website will allow you to read about the cause, the history of it, find events, and it has resources for those in need or wanting of more information on the gay pride movement. This website and many more out there, are great resources for those needing help to understand the gay community as well as, those needing help themselves.

A great article we read in class was 11 and Gender Fluid by Erin Zelle.  This article emphasizes the life of a gender fluid young girl through her mother’s eyes. Like Judy Shepard, Sullivan Zelle’s mother Erin, was a very accepting parent. She like Judy, are fighting for the acceptance and education of the LGBTQ community. Sullivan is an 11 year old girl who identifies as a girl but dresses to how she feels. Some days she may dress more feminine while other days she may dress more masculine. I think it’s amazing how Sullivan has celebrity role models to look up too. Zelle identifies gender fluid people and the way they express themselves, “Tilda Swinton in a Viktor & Rolf suit, Ruby Rose in black skinny jeans, and of course, Jaden Smith in the spring Louis Vuitton campaign wearing a skirt.” These popular figures are great role models for children or adults for people to look up to and connect too.

It is a time in history that the gay community is becoming more and more accepted. The hate crimes against homosexuals has decreased since the death of Matthew Shepard however, they have not disappeared. I join Judy in urging you to become education citizens and voting in the next election. Our voices matter. It may not seem like we can make a huge different in the world but we can in someone’s life. Being a kind neighbor, a kind friend and giving out a helping hand to those in need can greatly reduce someone’s suffering. Coming out as gay in our community is hard since people are automatically labeled straight. We must break through this barrier and accept everyone as who they are, not who we expect them to be. Judy Shepard lost her son to a horrible hate crime, she travels the county sharing his story and promoting ways of changing this country so that there is equality, equity and acceptance. As young citizens of the United States of America with friends or family members who have come out as gay, it is important that we join in on Judy’s fight so that no one else has to experience a story like Matthew Shepard's.