Hate is Not a Richmond Value
In 1998, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old University of Wyoming student, was brutally murdered in Laramie, Wyo., because he was gay. We have dedicated this year's One Book, One Richmond program to "The Laramie Project"--a play based on the murder and responses to it. Though deep-seated homophobia led to Matt's murder 15 years ago, we must continue the conversation today because prejudice, discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) individuals still persist worldwide. Here, in Virginia, we have recently seen the advancement of marriage equality in the state, along with other shifts toward tolerance for the LGBTQ community. These and other advancements toward full equality for the LGBTQ community are occurring alongside the legalization of anti-LGBTQ discrimination in Arizona, criminalization of homosexuality in parts of Africa and intense violence against LGBTQ individuals in Russia. If anything, the hate-filled murder of Matthew Shepard was just the beginning of the long-overdue conversation about the treatment and status of LGBTQ individuals in the U.S. and worldwide.