Matthew Shepard was brutally attacked and tortured by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson on October 6th, 1998.  His attackers tied him to a fence, and he died in a hospital a few days later.  His death set off a nationwide debate about hate crimes and homophobia that led to the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (2009).   

Website:
https://www.drinkingthecoolaid.com/  

RESOURCES:

• Vigil for Matthew Shepard – Oct. 14, 1998 | Archives of Women's Political Communication (iastate.edu)
• Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act | The First Amendment Encyclopedia (mtsu.edu)
• Our Story - Matthew Shepard Foundation
• Amazon - The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed: Shepard, Judy: 9780452296381: Books

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