Napoleon Bonaparte once remarked that “it’s the cause, not death that makes a martyr.” Matthew Shepard was only nineteen years when two men beat him brutally and tied him to a barrier on the prairie for being gay. His injuries and the loss of his life and future due to ignorance and prejudice caused him to die. Shepard, who was a martyr and symbol of the cause, became a rallying cry to equality among the LGBTQ+ community. The spread of AIDS was one of many problems that faced the LGBTQ+ community in late 1980s/early 1990s. (insert the news that first reported on AIDS) Many people called AIDS a gay epidemic and a “gay virus” for many years. Many Queer people felt the community was losing its reputation by relating the disease to the close-knit LGBTQ+ community. The second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights was held by gay rights activists in 1987. It brought about the “first national coverage” for ACT UP, AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power. They fought for “improvement of the lives of AIDS survivors”. People began to notice a small but important part of society, which was often ignored and silenced before the AIDS outbreak. The disease is not discriminatory and affects everyone. People couldn’t ignore homosexuality anymore. AIDS is incurable. It was attributed to the homosexuals who had lived underground so long. This created panic and fear. Despite the fact that the AIDS crisis brought attention to the Queer community’s existence, many were still closeted. Insert about gay marriage scandals to transition into the absence of gay laws. Matthew Shepard was probably the most prominent LGBTQ+ person. Shepard was born December 1, 1976 in Caspar to Judy Shepard and Dennis Shepard. Shepard experienced many traumatic experiences throughout his life. He was raped, beat, and robbed in Morocco during his senior year. Shepard lived in many different places throughout his childhood. First, he moved to Saudi Arabia as a junior high school student, then to Colorado with a group of friends, then back home to Caspar. Before settling on Wyoming University, Shepard attended several other colleges. He was involved in many LGBTQ+ rights groups. Shepard believed that he would be safe if he attended school near his home. This was not the case.

Shepard, who was a target for robbery, was lured out of The Fireside Lounge in Toronto by Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney. McKinney then drove Shepard to “rural areas” where he was beaten with a handgun, tied to a fence, and left to die in the frigid cold. A bicyclist, who believed Shepard to be a scarecrow, found Shepard 18 hours later. He was in a hypothermia-induced coma and was immediately rushed to hospital. Shepard died on October 12, 1998 at 12:53 AM. He had suffered a severe brain injury and sustained several other injuries. McKinney found a bloody gun, along with many belongings of Shepard almost immediately after Shepard died. His and Henderson were arrested. They were convicted in murder and sentenced life imprisonment. They were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. The death of Shepard attracted national attention. Two days following his death, celebrities and politicians gathered at Capitol to hold an open vigil. Bill Clinton claimed that the attackers were full of hate, full of fear, or both’. The memorial service for his death was held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Casper, Wyoming. It was attended by approximately 700 people. Homophobic Westboro Baptist Church adherents showed their hatred and displayed anti-gay messages at the church’s commemoration. However, Shepard’s close friends wore large white gowns with “large, heavenly wings” to block protesters. His parents were afraid that his grave would be vandalized by homophobic slurs so Shepard’s corpse was cremated instead of being buried. Shepard died twenty years later. His ashes were then interred at the Washington National Cathedral. It is also the home of Helen Keller and Woodrow Wilson. Shepard’s murder was a historic event in LGBTQ+ History. His murder was the first hate crime committed on the basis sexuality. This led to mass protests in the United States. In 2009, 11 years after Shepard’s death.

Matthew Shepard, James E. Byrd Jr. committed murder. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was passed. The Civil Rights Act of 1969 was amended to allow for crimes motivated in part by victim’s gender identity, sexual orientation, gender, or disability. Shepard’s murderers were not convicted because of the law that was put into effect after Shepard died.

While Shepard’s death brought about new laws and increased tolerance for LGBTQ+ communities, many hate crimes committed against homosexuality continue to occur today. Pulse was attacked at gunpoint by 49 people on June 12, 2016. The attack claimed 49 lives and was described as the “deadliest mass shooting in America” and the “worst terror attack on the country since 9/11. The attack on the LGBTQ+ communities was massive and revealed a lack of tolerance in 21st-century America.