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16 years ago
16 years ago today, on the night of October 6, 1998, our dear friend Matthew Shepard was kidnapped and tortured in one of the most vicious and notorious hate crimes in U.S. history. Never regaining consciousness, Matthew succumbed to the severe injuries from the attack and died on October 12, 1998.
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From October 6-12th, we will honor Matt and all victims of hate by sharing special photos, videos, and other remembrances on our Facebook page, Twitter, website, etc. This week, please continue to check this space & the Matthew Shepard Foundation page and support our online efforts to #RememberMatt and #EraseHate.
With much love & gratitude,
The Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine team -
Use Your Voice to Stand up for Matt
WE NEED YOUR SOCIAL VOICE! On Oct. 6th, the 16th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's attack, we want to unite our social voices for good and hold a "Virtual Vigil" to honor Matt and all victims of hate. There is power in numbers, and this is why we have partnered with Thunderclap, the first-ever crowd-speaking platform, which allows people around the world to speak with one voice in a single moment.
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If we reach our goal of 250 supporters by Oct. 6th, we will all share this message together: "16 yrs ago #MatthewShepard was attacked. I join #MyFriendMatt 's Virtual Vigil to #RememberMatt & all victims of hate"
If we succeed, we will spread this powerful message through Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr at the same time with ONE VOICE that cannot be ignored.
Please visit our Thunderclap campaign page to learn more and USE YOUR VOICE to stand up for Matt: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/16525-matthew-shepard-virtual-vigil?locale=en -
Our Texas Premiere at aGLIFF
The Shepards and I had a great trip to Austin for our Texas Premiere at the 27th Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival!
The festival kicked off with a lovely reception honoring the Shepards and the Matthew Shepard Foundation at the Long Center. We were extremely touched to learn that a portion of the proceeds from the reception would be donated to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. It was a truly special evening.
The next morning, the Shepards headed to Fox's Good Day Austin to talk about the film, their work, and our Texas Premiere at aGLIFF. You can watch their poignant interview here: http://www.myfoxaustin.com/clip/10571077/matt-shepard-is-a-friend-of-mine
After a whirlwind afternoon driving tour of Austin, courtesy of our good friend Erin, we headed to our Opening Night screenings at the brand-new Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar!
Both screenings were sold-out and a huge success (with a third screening added for those who couldn't get a seat)! Many thanks to the community of Austin and aGLIFF for such an AMAZING turn-out and such a heartfelt response to the film! It was an honor being with all of you and sharing Matt's story. We certainly felt all the love. And a special thanks to all our old friends who came out to support. You guys are THE BEST! We can't wait to come back to Austin!
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Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School Screens "Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine"
We received another lovely update about the recent Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine screening at Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School in PA. Courtney Lewis, who organized the event, wrote us the following note and we had to share it!
"I just wanted to send you a note to let you know how amazing the documentary viewing was. I am so grateful that you both made this film and feel that it will undoubtedly stand the test of time.
We had about 75 people at the viewing, mostly our boarding students and faculty, who LOVED it. Naturally there were a lot of tears, but our English teacher who is directing The Laramie Project this coming weekend led a wonderful discussion afterward which practically everyone participated in. All the teachers choked up when one of our students said at the end, "I'm just so grateful that I go to a school where we can put on The Laramie Project and watch amazing films like this one. I totally understand why Matthew Shepard felt that his friends from boarding school would be important to him for his whole life. I feel the same way."
A handful of alumni, many of whom came out in college, donated money to pay for the documentary viewing as well as drove from neighboring states to attend the viewing and they said that if they had seen a film like this one they might have come out earlier. Several of our faculty and parents who are in same-sex relationships (sadly Pennsylvania is not a same sex marriage state - yet!) also came out and were enormously happy we showed the film, as well as were moved by the content.
We also sold bracelets and had a cookie raffle (my cookies are pretty famous on campus!) and will continue the fundraising through the play this weekend. We've got our fingers crossed that we can raise around $1000 for the Matthew Shepard Foundation."
Thanks so much, Courtney and Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School!
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Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine in Michigan!
Our film was recently shown at North Central Michigan College in Petoskey, MI. Greg Baird, a national lecturer on LGBTQ issues, organized this successful screening event and shared this wonderful update with us:
"As a National Lecturer on LGBTQ issues to colleges and universities, I was pleased to show Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine with my AfterMatt lecture at North Central Michigan College in Petoskey, MI. A mix of college students, faculty, staff, and community folks came to hear a special message and watch this wonderful film. 150 people were moved and inspired to hear about Matt and the legacy he left behind. During the Q&A portion of the lecture, an older woman stood up to tell how her son was bullied 29 years ago and committed suicide. It was the first time she had the venue to open up and talk about it. Lives were changed! In this small, resort community, it was great to show the film, as they would have never had an opportunity to see it. Thank you!"
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New Spring Screenings!
We're back home...but not for long. We have a TON of new spring screenings coming up and hopefully we will be adding more soon! The film heads to North Central Michigan College in Petoskey, Michigan and Napa Valley Community College in Napa, CA.
In May, we head back to Cleveland for a special screening event and community conversation sponsored by our partners Facing History and Ourselves. Then Director Michele Josue brings the film to the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Finally, we screen the film as a part of a special fundraising event for the Matthew Shepard Foundation in Minneapolis, MN. Both Judy and Dennis Shepard will be in attendance at this event.
Please check out our screening page for cities, dates, and times: http://mattshepardisafriendofmine.com/screenings Spread the word! We hope you can join us!
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The World Premiere of "Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine"
Tonight is the coast-to-coast premiere of Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine. Yesterday we stopped by the Cathedral to take a walk through the space and we met with Richard and Ruth who are organizing the weekend honoring LGBT youth. We are so excited, it's been a long journey to this point and can't believe this is the very first time we are sharing the film with the public. If you are attending one of the screenings, please say 'hi,' we would love to meet our wonderful supporters.
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Washington National Cathedral to Premiere "Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine" to Kick Off Weekend Honoring LGBT
On Friday, October 4th, the Washington National Cathedral will host our film’s East Coast premiere. We are honored to kick off a weekend honoring LGBT youth at such a prominent house of worship.
The weekend will include a panel discussion on the ways that people of faith can stand with the LGBT community and speak out against violence. Featured on the panel are Matt Shepard’s parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, and Jane Clementi, the mother of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, who took his own life after extreme cyberbullying.
Immediately following the panel discussion will be a service of Holy Eucharist that will include special prayers for LGBT youth and a sermon on the topic by Cathedral Dean Gary Hall.
Dean Hall has said, “For too long, LGBT people have been ostracized by or unwelcome in faith communities where the Bible has been used as a weapon. Washington National Cathedral is a house of prayer where all are welcome, and where all people can experience God’s boundless love and grace.”
Click here to read this thoughtful article by Richard Weinberg, Director of Communications at the National Cathedral, on Matthew Shepard’s legacy.
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