#matthew shepard

[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.

[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

[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.

[sugaglos]

Daily reminder that Matthew Shepard wasn't killed bc of the fact that he was gay. He was killed bc of drugs

[random-nerd-posts]

I rewatched Nimona today

I rewatched Nimona today during work cause it's slow, I have all my homework done and there's still time left during my shift.

Well, yesterday, my mom and I watched a documentary about the LGBTQ+ movement and how it skyrocketed after the death of Matthew Sheppard, a gay man killed for being gay and it warned us about the slurs and the potentially triggering images of his injuries.

When I saw them, I went "I've seen worse in television" except those injuries killed him. I paused at that thought because I live in a world where it is scary to be a female who can't get reproductive care. I live in a world where I am a gay female who can't get reproductive care. I live in a world where I am a gay female who is proud and scared to be proud of myself who can't get reproductive care and it's because of people who have hurt people like Matthew.

I was watching the documentary and hearing his friends recount how much of a good person Matthew is, after he passed away, I almost cried. Looking at his wounds, that he died from, I almost cried today.

What does this have to do with Nimona?

I have watched that movie over ten times, and not once have I almost cried from that story. I didn't cry over the comic story line, I didn't cry during the movie. I almost cried during this run because I got some fucking insight into what we as a society have faced. And it made me realize how sheltered I am. Not was, but am.

My mom doesn't have a straight kid to her name (biological kid mind you, her nephew and my cousin is still figuring things out but I do believe he is straight (which is not wrong)) and she is so lucky because she has proud kids who are proud of being who they are and there is that fear as a parent I would assume that is "will there be someone who is going to hurt my babies?" cause she's a mom. That is her job to worry.

My mom is lucky because she hasn't needed to bury any of her kids for being themselves. My mom is lucky that she hasn't needed to bury any of her daughters due to rape, or any assault. My mom is lucky she hasn't lost any of her daughters because the world is full of shit.

I'm still sheltered, but the Matthew Sheppard story opened my eyes a little bit that he died for being himself and he isn't alone in the slightest. Not for gays, lesbians, transgenders, bisexuals, asexuals, or all of the above. My mom is lucky, my two sisters are lucky, I'm lucky, but we live in a world where if you don't face it, you tend to be sheltered.

At least that's what my experience is, and it's scary.

Sorry for the mindless rant but it's been running amok since yesterday and then soon after rewatching Nimona and it's just... a lot to think about and how we are reverting to being a bigoted society and it's scary to think about.

[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.

[misterlemonztenth]

03-02-24 | misterlemonztenth.tumblr.com/archive

[tigerrsmn]

"Demand justice for Nex Benedict and students like them."

Thomas Edison High School student, Jake Crowl, speaking at the Twin Cities vigil for Nex Benedict, organized by Thomas Edison High Gender and Sexuality Alliance. (transcript below)

[Um, so I am actually our next speaker. Hello. My name is Jake Crowl. I'm an 18 year old transgender student at Thomas Edison High School in North East Minneapolis. Nex Benedict was a 16 year old non-binary and two spirit child of the Choctaw Nation. Nex was a straight-A student at Owasso High School in Oklahoma. They had a beautiful cat named Zeus. They loved cooking and being in nature. They loved comics like The Walking Dead and playing Minecraft. Nex was out for just 28 days as non-binary to their peers before their passing.

I'm so, so sorry that your peers failed you. I'm sorry that your school failed you. I'm sorry that everyone who was supposed to be protecting you failed to do so. Rest in peace, Nex Benedict. You were a beautiful soul and a wonderful human. I hope you understand how much you were loved and how much you are cherished.

This October will mark 25 years since the torture and death of Matthew Shepard. After 25 years, why are our transgender and two spirit children still not safe in schools? Why are our babies dying and no one is doing anything? I come before you to beg your representatives, to beg your schools to protect, to demand solid protections for our transgender and two spirit students. Demand justice for Nex Benedict and students like them.]

[reasonandempathy]

"But if we don't show the fact that we're gay they'll leave us alone!"

Their level of "comfort" would require they never realize you're not straight. Never tell them you're not straight. Never stray too far from CisHet(White)Man clothing or jobs or living arrangements.

Never hold hands with your same-sex partner. Never kiss in public. Not even on the KissCam at a baseball stadium. Never have a photo on your desk of your wedding. Never go out on a date.

Never flinch at a gay joke. Never have too many opposite sex friends. Never have too many same sex friends. Never stop dating the opposite sex for too long. Never be middle-aged and unmarried. Never be annoyed at the priest/pastor saying you're evil. Never make a flirty joke with the same sex, even though straight people do it all the time.

Never this.

Never that.

Never help another LGBT person who couldn't do all of the above. Never stop them from tying Shepard to a fence.

[maritimetiger]

[brianbritigan]

Today marks 25 years since the attack that ended Matthew Shepard’s life.

Imagining the events of that evening was the hardest part of illustrating Always Matt but I hope these pages can help others to revisit and reflect on this tragedy with a new sense of clarity and purpose.