Matthew Shepard
Judy Shepard, mother of slain gay Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard, will speak at UCSF on Wednesday, Oct. 22, as part of diversity-related events. Her appearance comes almost exactly 10 years after the murder of her 21-year-old son, and on the 10th anniversary of UCSF’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center. A broad coalition of campus groups is sponsoring her appearance at noon in Health Sciences West, room 300, on the Parnassus campus.
In the decade since her son’s death, Shepard has devoted herself to promoting diversity and tolerance, and opposing bias-motivated hate. Determined to use her grief over her son’s death to make a difference, she speaks to audiences nationwide about what they can do to make their schools and communities safer for everyone, regardless of race, sex, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.
Shepard donates all speaking fees to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which she created with her husband to carry on Matthew’s legacy by embracing the causes he cared about. She has also appeared in public service announcements decrying hate crimes, and has testified before Congress on bias-related violence.
“I feel Matthew with me every day, or I would not be able to do this,” she says. “We realize that we must use the voice his death has given us. What I can try to accomplish is to make people aware. We get so complacent in our lives that we forget not everyone is safe, and frequently it is our children who aren’t safe.”
Shane Snowdon, director of UCSF LGBT Resources, says that Shepard’s message “brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. I find it so moving that she has transformed her grief into work for change. She’s a truly inspiring role model.”
It is no coincidence that Shepard is appearing at UCSF on the 10th anniversary of the LGBT Resource Center, Snowdon says. “Our work, like hers, seeks to make UCSF and the wider community a more diverse and tolerant place. Having seen how she affects people of all beliefs and backgrounds, we felt she was the perfect choice to celebrate our decade of accomplishments.”
Snowdon adds that Matthew Shepard’s death in October 1998 played a part in the creation of the UCSF LGBT Resource Center. “His death highlighted the bias – even violence and hatred – that LGBT people can face. A number of universities, including ours, responded by strengthening their support services for LGBT students and others who may experience discrimination.”
In the aftermath of Matthew’s murder, in which he was tied to a split-rail fence, beaten and left to die in the cold of night, UCSF Chancellor J. Michael Bishop, MD, made a statement to the UCSF community that moved many, according to Snowdon. He affirmed, “We deplore and reject all manifestations of discrimination, including those based on sexual orientation.”
On the 10th anniversary of Matthew’s murder and the creation of the LGBT Resource Center, Snowdon hopes that a broad range of campus community members will seek out Judy Shepard’s unique perspective on diversity and tolerance. Her visit is co-sponsored by the UCSF Cultural Enrichment Fund, Associated Students of UCSF, Graduate Students’ Association, Diversity Celebration Committee, Center for Gender Equity, Student Activity Center, Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues, LGBT Student Association, and LGBT Staff Group.
