Matthew Shepard Memorial Bench

On September 27, 2008, a bench outside of the east entrance of University of Wyoming's College of Arts and Sciences building was officially dedicated to the memory of Matthew Shepard. A small ceremony was held by the bench during which Tom Buchanan, the president of the University of Wyoming, and both of Shepard's parents spoke.

Matthew Shepard was an openly gay student majoring in political science at the University of Wyoming. On the night of October 6, 1998, he left a local bar with two other young men by the names of Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson after they had offered to give him a ride home. They drove Shepard down a remote road, robbed him, and then proceeded to brutally pistol-whip and torture him. Afterwards, they tied his body to a nearby fence and left him there.

18 hours later, Shepard was discovered in a coma by a cyclist who initially mistook his body for a scarecrow. Shepard's injuries were reportedly so severe that he was unrecognizable and his face was completely covered in blood, other than a few streaks left by his tears. After being transported to two different hospitals, doctors informed Shepard's family that the injuries were too severe and operation would not be possible. He was put on life support. Massive protests and candlelight vigils were held all around the globe. The infamous Westboro Baptist Church hate group, headed by Pastor Fred Phelps, came to Laramie and counter-protested calls for anti-LGBT hate crime legislation.

Six days after he was attacked, Matthew Shepard died in the intensive care unit at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. He was 21 years old. Both Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson plead guilty and were sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. The possibility of a death penalty sentence was ruled out at the request of Judy and Phillip Shepard.

Today, Matthew Shepard's murder is still one of the most widely known hate crimes in American history and was an important catalyst for the modern LGBTQ rights movement. In 2009, President Barack Obama enacted the "Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act"- extending federal hate crime law to protect those targeted for their gender identity or sexual orientation.

The Matthew Shepard Memorial Bench is the only public marker in Laramie dedicated to Matthew Shepard.

Baumann, Peter. 10 Years Later, Laramie Boomerang. September 28th 2008. Accessed September 3rd 2020. https://www.laramieboomerang.com/news/10-years-later/article_ee9f4cef-7e78-5502-b1bf-9ef858f00a71.html.

Brooke, James. Gay Murder Trial Ends With Guilty Plea, The New York Times. April 6th 1999. Accessed September 3rd 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/06/us/gay-murder-trial-ends-with-guilty-plea.html.

Broverman, Neal. University of Wyoming to Dedicate Bench to Matthew Shepard, Advocate. September 18th 2008. Accessed September 3rd 2020. https://www.advocate.com/news/2008/09/18/university-wyoming-dedicate-bench-matthew-shepard.

Loffreda, Beth. Losing Matt Shepard: Life and Politics in the Aftermath of Anti-Gay Murder. Edition 1st. NYC, New York. Columbia University Press, 2000.

Loffreda, Beth. The Tenth Anniversary of the Death of Matt Shepard: A Post by Beth Loffreda, Columbia University Press Blog. September 30th 2008. Accessed September 3rd 2020. https://www.cupblog.org/2008/09/30/the-tenth-anniversary-of-the-death-of-matt-shepard-a-post-by-beth-loffreda/.

National Park Service. LGBTQ Memorials: Matthew Shepard Memorial, Laramie, WY, National Park Service. February 20th 2018. Accessed September 3rd 2020. https://www.nps.gov/articles/lgbtq-memorials-matthew-shepard-memorial-laramie-wy.htm.