Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine

Remembering Matthew Shepard 15 Years Later,

San Diego Remembers 2013

Join San Diego Remembers on Tuesday, Oct. 8 for the 6th Annual San Diego Remembers Matthew Shepard (SDR:MS) event. SDR:MS was designed to remember the events of Oct. 6-7, 1998 that would lead to the tragic murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard. Matthew was beaten and left for dead in Laramie, Wyoming simply because he happened to be gay.

This year San Diego Remembers hopes to put a human face to this tragedy that sent shock waves around the world by showing the San Diego premiere screening of the new documentary, "Matt Shepard Is A Friend Of Mine." This film was created by Michele Josue, a high school classmate of Matthew, in an attempt to connect the audience to the person that was Matthew. The film also shows the real life impact this tragedy had on his friends and family, including interviews with Judy, Dennis and Logan Shepard.

The event begins at 7 pm with a small rally at the Hillcrest Pride Flag, featuring a touching musical performance by the San Diego Women's Chorus, followed by a march to the John Robert Wear Hate Crimes Memorial Plaque. After the march, participants will gather at the San Diego LGBT Community Center at 8 pm for the screening of "Matt Shepard Is A Friend Of Mine" with a talk back with the creators of the film.

A celebration of life and love will follow at Uptown Tavern, including drink specials, eats, and photos.

We hope to use the event to energize and empower our community to continue the struggle against ignorance, intolerance and hate and continue to move forward towards equality for all.

San Diego Remembers started was started in 2008 by Benny Cartwright and Rick Cervantes on the 10th anniversary of the death of Matthew as a moment of reflection during the run up to that year'