HRC Remembers Matthew Shepard
Thirteen
years ago today, Matthew Shepard was attacked in a brutal hate crime.
Five days later, his young life was cruelly snuffed out by this act of
anti-gay hatred. However, the tremendous strength and courage of his
parents, Dennis and Judy Shepard, together with a galvanized community,
did not allow Matthew's death to be in vain. After over a decade of
relentless work, on October 28, 2009, the Shepards witnessed President
Obama sign the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes
Prevention Act into law. This landmark legislation, the first federal
civil rights law to explicitly protect the LGBT community, provides new
tools to law enforcement to help ensure that hate crimes are
investigated and prosecuted. Today we remember Matthew and all those who have lost their lives to hatred.
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