LGBT News Homophobia alive and well in Longmont Colorado

I don't think the Matthew Shepard case would be akin to this case... also, Matthew was was tied to a barb wire fence in Wyoming, not Colorado.

On topic, I think it's nice he finally got to deliver his speech. I don't see why the school felt the need to bar him from his speech. His speech was pretty good.

 

While you may be right on the location not being too far away, I just don't think it's fair to pin most of the homophobia in that one area. Not wanting a valedictorian to say he's gay in a speech seems like something that can happen in many schools. Beating and murdering someone who's gay is a very different story.

 

I'm from Colorado and can add a few things here...

Colorado has both liberal and conservative areas. The northern Colorado area (Weld and Larimer counties) is actually not the most arch-conservative part of the state. That (dis) honor belongs to El Paso county, home to Colorado Springs and the Focus on the Family headquarters.

The most progressive areas of Colorado are in the Denver/Boulder metro area. Denver and Boulder are strongly liberal areas. The Denver suburbs lean slightly Democratic. Some very affluent mountain towns, such as Aspen and Vail, are also Democratic strongholds, though homes there are only accessible to the 1%.

Longmont, where this school is located, has a split personality. Boulder is almost Aspen/Vail expensive, and many progressive people have moved to Longmont (about 10 miles northeast) because they have been priced out of the real estate market (the average home is over $500K). Previously, Longmont was a conservative farm town. There is a culture clash as the liberal urbanite and conservative rural cultures collide there.

Ft. Collins, located in Larimer county, is about 30 miles north of Longmont. The city proper is a moderate area and home to Colorado State University. Greeley, in adjoining Weld county (and home to the University of Northern Colorado), is actually more conservative. Rural parts of Weld and Larimer counties can be very conservative but rarely make the news (unlike Colorado Springs). But there are pockets of liberalism right on Colorado Springs' doorstep. Manitou Springs adjoins Colorado Springs and yet is pro-gay rights, has recreational pot dispensaries, etc. It is also a quaint historic town and tourist attraction. People visiting Colorado will drive right past Focus on the (your own damn) Family and go to Manitou Springs for dinner and shopping.

Matthew Shepard was relocated to a hospital in Ft. Collins because Wyoming is a very sparsely populated, rural state. The only sizable towns in Wyoming are near the Colorado border. Only Cheyenne or Laramie would have hospital facilities of any size; given his dire condition after being found barely alive, it made the most sense to take him to Ft. Collins to get the best care possible within a short drive. To give you an idea - the only less sparsely populated states than Wyoming are Alaska and Montana. It doesn't get much more rural than Wyoming 30 miles north of the Colorado border.

It's clear to me that the charter school in Longmont is run by arch-conservatives who oppose the expansion of civil rights for the GLBT community. However, this is not a clear reflection of the opinions and attitudes of people in the region. I see this as more related to the school administration than the views of the community.

The student in question was able to deliver his speech in nearby Boulder, to a warm and receptive LGBT-friendly audience. The school's anti-gay publicity stunt totally backfired, as the student gained national visibility while showing just what bigoted idiots the school administrators are.