#matthew shepard

[thosemotivationalquotes]

I saw something in the news today that truly took my breath away. If you have been paying attention to U.S. politics over the past few days, you’ve most likely seen this woman:

This is Bishop Mariann Budde, and on Monday (Trump’s inauguration) she led an interfaith prayer for Trump and the incoming administration. During the service she asked him to have mercy for LGBTQ+ Americans and undocumented immigrants. This was badly received by the Trump administration (as expected).

After seeing headlines about this woman, I read something that I wanted to share. In 1998 a man named Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay. I’m not going to get into the details of his death on this post, but please be warned it is extremely triggering if you do choose to read more on your own. Matthew Shepard’s death caused a lot of change in the U.S. regarding how LGBTQ hate crimes are handled, and laws that were passed to protect LGBTQ+ people.

Now you’re probably wondering what Matthew Shepard has to do with an Episcopal bishop. For years after Matthew Shepard’s murder, his family had held onto his remains, too scared to lay him to rest in fear of his final resting place being vandalized. In 2018, Budde had his remains interred at the National Cathedral, which is also the place where the interfaith prayer for Trump and his administration took place. The impact of this really had an effect on me. Budde could have led a non confrontational prayer service, and chosen not to mention the harm that will come to the people Trump and his administration are going after. Instead she chose to call out hate and fear in front of some of the most powerful people on the planet, and at a place that has such a large historic meaning to the LGBTQ community.

In the next few years there will be many challenges in protecting free speech, standing up against hate, and protecting those in our communities. But I would like to believe that for every Donald Trump and Elon Musk, there are people like Marianne Budde. There are those of us who can’t speak up for themselves, so it’s important for those of us who can to amplify our voices, even if it’s not the ‘popular’ thing to do.

“And he said you should apologize. Will you apologize?

I am not going to apologize for asking for mercy for others.” - Mariann Budde’s response in a Time interview

Link to articles: x x x

Link to the Matthew Shepard Foundation if you would like to donate

[saywhat-politics]

This is the Reverend who asked Trump to show compassion.

[rvllybllply2014]

[modern-politics111]

DID YOU KNOW for 25 years Matthew Shepard had no permanent resting place due to concerns his grave would be vandalized Reverend Budde learned of this, she invited the Shepards to inter him inside the Washington National Cathedral.

She was and is a real hero.

[victusinveritas]

For 20 years Matthew Shepard had no permanent resting place due to concerns his grave would be vandalized, and when Reverend Budde learned of this, she invited the Shepards to inter him inside the Washington National Cathedral. She co-officiated the service which stated Matthew was now and forever home in the church where he was loved.

Here's a piece from 2018 on the interment.

[scopophilic1997]

scopOphilic_micromessaging_996 - scopOphilic1997 presents a new micro-messaging series: small, subtle, and often unintentional messages we send and receive verbally and non-verbally.

[andrewisdoing]

Things That Definitely Made Me GAY (Part 2):

MUSIC ICONS: Part of my Coming Out would be incomplete without the music that found me during that time. I’d wager my survival had every bit to do with the singers, songwriters and entertainers I was playing at the time. I especially credit Madonna, Janet Jackson, Barbara Streisand and Rufus Wainwright. They were the unexpected heroes in my ears everyday reminding me it was okay to embrace the dramatic, funny, complex, sexual situations of life in song.

FILMS: I am a firm believer that people are always searching for bits of themselves in the movies. So, being the teen I was, I wanted to find parts of my being in the movies to be affirmed that I wasn’t alone. Whether it was a documentary or rom-com, I wanted to escape into a potential future or an idea of what it looked like to be a gay man in 2009. Documentaries were a gift from heaven because I got to see where we had been and where we were going. I still feel that way as a 30 year old. I feel like I still am eager to see stories of us and find parts of myself on celluloid.

VOGUEING/PARIS IS BURNING: This movie quite simply changed and saved my life in a LOT of ways. When Madonna’s Vogue (BEST SONG FOREVER ON REPEAT) came into my life, my godmother introduced to me to the Houses of New York City, the Ballrooms and the origins of Vogueing. I had never felt so seen as a black gay person in a film prior to seeing PIB. It was the antidote to existing in a suburb in Washington. To know I wasn’t alone in the world and that there was a place beyond Washington where people like me exist, was (and still is) the greatest gift anyone, especially from kin, could’ve given me.

QUEER AS FOLK: THIS SHOW TOOK ME THERE. I remember hiding the box sets at many friends’ houses when I first had come out. While the show can be a bit dated, the stories and original characters really shaped what being a part of the LGBTQ+ community could potentially be as I grew into adulthood.

HISTORY: When I first came out, I made it my personal mission to read up on all things gay history to understand who came before me and whose footsteps I was walking behind. I found so much solace in the bravery we displayed as a community. I know that I am free to be me because of the folks who came before me. I hope that as time goes on, we discover more unsung gay heroes.

HEROES: I went out to of my way to find people who were like me and people who had the same interests as me. Finding people who made me feel understood and created the work to express all the facets of not only the human experience but the gay experience. Whether it be through dance, poetry, filmmaking or photography, I credit these artists for saving my life through their work.

FATSO: Some kids first cartoon crushes were Aladdin, Hercules, HELL, I could even bet that some had crushes on The Beast, BEFORE HE BECAME HUMAN! Me? Mine was (and still is) Fatso. Some have read him as a queer coded character and for my sake, I really hope that it’s true.

PORN & The Pornstars That Make Em’ : As weird as it may seem, discovering Porn really helped me feel liberated and free to understand my sexuality and what I really liked. Also..boy, oh boy, the men and the videos that still to this day..get me off is a list that’s too long to count. From Zeb Atlas to Tom Katt, these men served the fantasies that were so hot and beefy, I still can’t believe my eyes. Being gay certainly has its perks.

NOAH’S ARC: In the same vein as QAF, Noah’s Arc made me feel not only seen as a gay man but as a black man. I love that the show gave the community so many versions of our existence. Making us more than a side character or the uplifting and sassy character, at that. We were portrayed as human and proof that we exist.

[gregdotorg]

Laramie, Wyoming would like to forget Matthew Shepard and his murder there, thank you very much.

[jenthebug]

I saw my son perform in this semester’s high school play: The Laramie Project- Ten Years Later.

He was wonderful. One of the best. Each actor had a handful of parts, and he seemed to bring each persona to life.

But. It was HEAVY SHIT. Obviously. It dealt with Matthew Shepard’s murder, and public opinion ten years after the murder. A large number of people seem to think it was a robbery, or a drug deal gone bad, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary.

It is very hard to believe that “something like that could happen here.” So a significant portion of Laramie just…doesn’t.

I’m drinking some tension tamer tea and watching the end of a CU basketball game (we’re ahead of USC, barely) because I need to fill my head with something other than someone like my son getting brutally murdered.

SportsCenter is next. I’m glad.

[darthbreezy]

Today I learned...

[goodfriendo]

Link to the 2018 NPR article.

[lopeirce]

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Matthew Shepard all week. It’s been 25 years since Matt, a 21-year-old gay college student, was lured by two homophobic men, severely beaten, tied to a fence, and left for dead in Laramie, WY. If you have never heard of this horrible tragedy, I urge you to educate yourself.

I think about Matt quite often. I even had the privilege of visiting Laramie and paying my respects to him at his bench at UW. Even though the fight to just exist continues for the the LGBTQIA+ community, it was Matthew who helped us spark some change.

We haven’t forgotten you, Matthew. Rest easy.

[100gayicons]

Actor Nathan Lane has a long list of credits on Broadway, Movies, and Television - including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (stage), The Producers (stage & film), The Addams Family (stage), Lion King (animated film), Birdcage (film), Penny Dreadful (TV), and Only Murders in the Building (TV).

When he was 21, Lane came out as Gay to his mother. Joking, he said she replied "I'd rather you were dead." But he added, "Once I got her head out of the oven, everything went fine."

Lane was motivated to come out to the public in 1999 after the murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man in Wyoming who was attacked by a homophobic gang. Since then Lane has worked tirelessly - campaigning for LGBT rights and fundraising for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Human Rights Campaign Equality, and Matthew Shepard Foundation.

November 2015, Lane married Devlin Elliott his partner of 18 years.

[usernamesarehard1]

Remembering Queer History is Important

[scopophilic1997]

scopOphilic_micromessaging_995 - scopOphilic1997 presents a new micro-messaging series: small, subtle, and often unintentional messages we send and receive verbally and non-verbally.

[fanficfanattic]

So I was a kid when this happened (also for the murder of Brandon Teena). Remember hearing about it over and over. And could not help but be scared. Because I had already realized that I was queer.

Younger queer folks have luckily gotten to experience the community in the after of this. Which makes me so, so happy. Every inch we claw our way forward makes it safer for future generations to exist. To exist openly, to live proudly, to have less fear.

But as she says, knowing our history is important. Most of the younger people I know have sought out history. If you haven’t yet, I suggest taking some time to learn. Part of planning forward is knowing where you’re coming from.