Spring Break
Shepard remembered 10 years after murder
Alexandra Sieh
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: News
He died in a coma at 21 in the Poudre Valley Hospital, after being brutally beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in Laramie, Wyo. for being openly gay.
And this Sunday marks 10 years since the death of the University of Wyoming student, Matthew Shepard, who spurred a flurry of anti-hate discussion and legislation nationwide.
With the memory of Shepard still fervent in the hearts of friends, family and the GLBT community, they prepare for the 10-year anniversary of his death with a screening of "The Laramie Project" and an open mic Sunday in the Lory Student Center.
Starting at 7 p.m. in the LSC Theater, the film tells the story of Shepard's death and the wave of change that stemmed from the murder.
The idea to screen the film for the anniversary began with Tommy Crews, a sophomore psychology major and former member of the CSU Residence Hall Association.
Realizing the date was approaching, Crews decided to take initiative and screen the film as a way to get students' attention and create an understanding of issues still facing the GLBT community.
Crews and other community members commented on the past 10 years, noting aftershocks, what has changed and what hasn't.
"I hope it will spread awareness," Crews said of the screening. "I still meet people who have no idea who Matthew Shepard is. I want people to know hate crimes are still going on."
Other collaborators on the screening include Foula Dimopoulos, the director of GLBT Student Services on campus, and the Lambda Center, a community center for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Questioning and Ally members of Fort Collins.
Both organizations said they have high hopes for the screening, noting the importance of awareness around the anniversary and the effects of Shepard's murder.
"I hope the screening and the open mic afterwards will provide people a mechanism to use their voice to stand against injustice, to remember the lives lost and the lives still being lived," Dimopoulos said in an e-mail interview.
And this Sunday marks 10 years since the death of the University of Wyoming student, Matthew Shepard, who spurred a flurry of anti-hate discussion and legislation nationwide.
With the memory of Shepard still fervent in the hearts of friends, family and the GLBT community, they prepare for the 10-year anniversary of his death with a screening of "The Laramie Project" and an open mic Sunday in the Lory Student Center.
Starting at 7 p.m. in the LSC Theater, the film tells the story of Shepard's death and the wave of change that stemmed from the murder.
The idea to screen the film for the anniversary began with Tommy Crews, a sophomore psychology major and former member of the CSU Residence Hall Association.
Realizing the date was approaching, Crews decided to take initiative and screen the film as a way to get students' attention and create an understanding of issues still facing the GLBT community.
Crews and other community members commented on the past 10 years, noting aftershocks, what has changed and what hasn't.
"I hope it will spread awareness," Crews said of the screening. "I still meet people who have no idea who Matthew Shepard is. I want people to know hate crimes are still going on."
Other collaborators on the screening include Foula Dimopoulos, the director of GLBT Student Services on campus, and the Lambda Center, a community center for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Questioning and Ally members of Fort Collins.
Both organizations said they have high hopes for the screening, noting the importance of awareness around the anniversary and the effects of Shepard's murder.
"I hope the screening and the open mic afterwards will provide people a mechanism to use their voice to stand against injustice, to remember the lives lost and the lives still being lived," Dimopoulos said in an e-mail interview.
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