LGBT News Have We Got Matthew Shepard All Wrong?

Hm.. interesting. I'd wondered if this was the case. Disappointing that it doesn't pinpoint details and what really happened, but this does add to my argument that most murders are driven by a psychotic mental state.

 

Perception is often stronger than reality.

 

I've heard this too, but what makes it hard for me to believe it wasn't a full blown hate crime is the brutality of the whole thing, being left to die at a fence. That they used the "gay excuse" not only adds to the likelihood that it was a hate crime, but the defense trial itself then became anti gay.

 

i just read another article that says has a statement from the killer saying at the time he killed him he hated gays and he said it started as a robbery and he targeted shepard because he was gay and weak.i think its all bull shit for me unless i see pics of him doing drugs and having sex with the killer, then im gonna see this as i always have a good person killed by some stupid hatefull homophobes, what ever the truth he didnt deserve what happened to him.even if it wasnt we still needed those laws that went into effect because of this.

 

Just being gay doesn't cure homophobia, nor does it preclude one from exploiting homophobic attitudes of society to attempt to get away with violent crimes.

 

"Anecdotal evidence"? Seriously??? This is suppose to be good journalism? Another article actually claims that the main thing that spurred this guy's whole investigation was an anonymous letter he found in police records.

---------- Post added 16th Sep 2013 at 04:39 PM ----------

Mother of Matthew Shepard Speaks Out

‘20/20’ Coordination Faulted

Evidence of Jumping the Gun

These seem to suggest that the author of this book is some sort of sociopath liar.

 

this reads more like an advert to buy the book than a news article.

 

I remember when the attack on Matthew Shepard happened and everyone was waiting for answers. At least one of the two guys who was involved had a long history of problems, and one was supposedly bisexual and apparently not well adjusted about it. Shepard's parents were really strong to face the media rather quickly and I remember that Clinton made a special appeal to the people as a result of this. I don't recall if he visited the Shepards or vice-versa.

I read a little bit about Matthew's background. Because of his dad's job as an engineer, he got to spend time in various international locations. He was once in Morocco on a school trip and was raped, which caused him to experience depression. He was well liked at Univ. of Wyoming according to reports. He then moved to Denver and lived in the Capitol Hill area, the city's gay friendly area. At the time of his death, the records indicated he was HIV-positive. I don't recall the details as to what he was doing in a bar that was neither in Denver nor near his college town, given that it was presumably a straight bar. I still think there are bits and pieces that aren't fully known.

I feel that this is the most remembered hate crime on someone that young, but I don't think we should forget the Tyler Clementi situation either, even though the circumstances are very different. That his roommate in college got off as easily as he did is almost criminal to me.

 

I think this is a baseless, shameless attack on the character of a young victim of a heinous hate crime, a young man whose life was snuffed out in a brutal attack just for being gay. This author doesn't have any real evidence, he has extrapolated this whole conspiracy theory based on a single anonymous letter, and he is dragging Matthew Shepard's name through the mud for the sake of publicity and money imo.

 

Um, isn't that kinda like blaming the victim?

It's like saying oh this woman who got raped was a slut who dressed and behaved promiscuously, so she was 'asking for it'.

Having an active sex life should not be used to somehow impugn the character of a victim and claim he or she was responsible for what happens to him/her. Having depression and trying to overcome it with drugs certainly aren't something to blame a victim over either.

These are the things I would expect to hear a defense attorney in a rape case say, trying to blame the victim, and impugn his/her character with aspects about the victim's life that are irrelevant to the case, in order to get the rapist off the hook.

The only people responsible for what happened to Matthew Shepard are Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson.

 

I agree fully, and feel The Advocate is being crass and sensationalistic. With the phrase 'All Wrong' in the title, alarms go off. There may be nuances to the case, but it's not as if this busy-body reporter proves that we have it all, 100% 'wrong'. (whatever that might mean)

Further, it would be interesting/instructive to look at why gay people are at a disproportionately high risk for drug and alcohol abuse, as opposed to wagging a parental finger and saying 'he was bad!'.

 

It may not be idle speculation, But it is still speculation.

There may not be a version that is remotely close to the truth because the central subject (Matthew) is gone. Relying on people other than Matthew to dictate what was going on in his life; is a very unstable bridge to build the foundation of a book upon.

 

No. I don't think that's what was intended by the post. It was probably meant to imply that it's a numbers game, meaning he put himself out there, on the edge, probably a little more than his peers would have. The first time I ever went to a bar was in a conservative area of America, and in a smaller town, too, so the main worry for me wasn't the bar itself, but walking to and from my car a block away at night.

True. The two guys were the ones who perpetrated the crime. They could have just been dismissive of him. I don't know if a drug deal was involved. I just recall it being an interpretation that he would be hooking up, or a green light of that sort, and didn't perceive any danger. Again, this lethal attack says a lot about homophobic crime in that it reveals a lot about the motivations of the criminals, who typically don't have their own issues squared away. Over the years, I have become increasingly suspicious of virulent homophobes and biphobes.

 

Matthew wasn't an angel. He was human just like the rest of us.

 

Tightrope: Matthew was in his college town. I live in Cheyenne WY about 45 miles east of Laramie, where University of Wyoming is. The bar he was picked up at is no longer called the Fireside, but it is still there. It is a long walk from the school, but it is in walking distance from the school. As for him not going to a gay bar, there are no gay bars in Wyoming. In order to go to a gay bar he would have had to at least go to Fort Collins CO, which is at least 50 miles away via a very dangerous mountain road. If you read Judy Shepard's book, he used to hire a limo to drive him to Fort Collins, because he did not consider himself a good driver.

 

Regardless of his personal character, the details have always pointed to it being anti-gay. This is tantamount to saying that the homophobia didn't matter. I don't care if the report was done by a gay man; many gay men are anti-gay in their own way.

How the case went indicates that homophobia was massive in their motive for the murder, and the case matters just as much as the murder/media sensation.

 

I'm always a little bit skeptical when something comes out way after the fact. It doesn't mean it didn't happen....but say a celebrity is doing their thing. It's always fascinating that someone comes out and says "5 years ago, we had an affair!" Oh, really? That's nice it took that long...

Alright...so what if Matthew was into drugs? Sorry, but he'd have to be selling drugs to toddlers and killing puppies before we should ever put blame on him.

 

I see. So this happened in Laramie, then? I thought he was in Fort Collins when he was at the bar. Either way, since he didn't drive that well, it would sort of explain why he got into a stranger's car. Never a good idea. Given that it was a straight bar, then, how did he know to zero in on these guys, and was it just to pal around with them and do some drugs, or was it about the possibility of sex?

I don't remember all the details, since it was around 1998, I think. I would imagine that bar would almost have to change its name and maybe even rearrange some things.