Social Justice Event
I attended the movie "Matt Shepard is a friend of Mine." It was a few weeks ago but I have not had the time to write about it yet. This documentary was about a gay young man. He was tortured and was murdered. Matt died in 1998. He was Dolly Parton one year for Halloween which was probably a huge hint for people that he was gay. His guidance counselor was one of the first people he has told before his own parents, and friends. Matt was afraid that his parents would disown him and reject him. Matt to me I feel like he was a pretty popular boy. He had a lot of friends and he traveled the world so much. He was very adventurous. He loved people and loved making people happy. Matt loved politics, he wanted to become a actor, he was in many plays. He wanted to change things about the world. He wanted to build a Church. When Matt died his friend still feels guilty and angry because she didn't get to do anything to help him. She has saved all his stuff pictures and letters for memories.
In High school he came out and told his mother that he was gay. His mother had told him that she already knew it because mothers know everything. He told her not to tell his father because he didn't want him to treat him any different or make him angry. However the mother told his father, his father didn't flip out or disown him. In 1995 he told his best friend that he was gay, he told her if he wasn't gay that he would have spent the rest of his life with her.
Matt was robbed and raped by 6 men. He was pulled into a valley in Morocco. He left his hotel just to go for a relaxing walk and this happened. His best friend felt so guilty afterwards for even taking a trip to Morocco.
In Wyoming A teacher made him feel so safe he even told his guidance counselor he finally felt safe being here.
The night Matt went missing...
He was last spotted at a bar drinking a beer when two regular straight guys came in to drink as well. They noticed Matt and they knew that he was gay. Knew he had money too. The two straight guys went to the bathroom to make a plan to tell Matt that they were gay just like him and to leave the bar as friends. They then all left together. Matt was thinking that he made more friends. Well he was wrong, they beat Matt up and shot him many times as he was hanged up onto a fence. They stole his wallet. People found his body 18 hours later. At 5am his parents got a call, they had to fly all way to Wyoming knowing that their son may not even make it till they make it there. They made it in time but Matt was in rough shape. The parents thought that he was in a car wreck.
His brain stem was the only thing keeping him alive. No one knew how long he would live for.
They had his guidance counselor come to say his good byes and to see him. He was sad and told Matt to just let go and die so his parents don't have to make the decision. That night he died. His family was by his bed side.
Ellen gave a speech about how he was picked on and murdered at a event. She explained how mad she was because shes also gay. Protestors were at his funeral.
At the Matthew Shepard Foundation the mom speaks to parents about her story and how bullying needs to stop.
I can connect it to Safe spaces that we have read in class. It talks about people being gay. I feel like people should feel themselves. Which Matt did feel like himself. He was living one of the best lives that no one really gets to experience, TRAVELING! Not everyone gets to travel. He never even had suicidal thoughts of killing himself because the people around him his friends were all nice to him.
I cant really connect to any other article because we haven't really read about gays. We have talked about it in class and talked about how it shouldn't matter who you are, we are all human beings, we should all be treated the same way.
This is Matt Shepard. He always looked younger than he actually was.
http://www.matthewshepard.org/
Here is a link of the Matthew Shepard Foundation it tells you about their mission statement and about all the work they have done so far. You can always donate if you wanted to.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/11/matthew-shepards-belongings-enter-smithsonian/575599/
Here's some more information on Matt.
This next link is very interesting. Its from FOX news saying how his murder still haunts Wyoming after 20 years.
In High school he came out and told his mother that he was gay. His mother had told him that she already knew it because mothers know everything. He told her not to tell his father because he didn't want him to treat him any different or make him angry. However the mother told his father, his father didn't flip out or disown him. In 1995 he told his best friend that he was gay, he told her if he wasn't gay that he would have spent the rest of his life with her.
Matt was robbed and raped by 6 men. He was pulled into a valley in Morocco. He left his hotel just to go for a relaxing walk and this happened. His best friend felt so guilty afterwards for even taking a trip to Morocco.
In Wyoming A teacher made him feel so safe he even told his guidance counselor he finally felt safe being here.
The night Matt went missing...
He was last spotted at a bar drinking a beer when two regular straight guys came in to drink as well. They noticed Matt and they knew that he was gay. Knew he had money too. The two straight guys went to the bathroom to make a plan to tell Matt that they were gay just like him and to leave the bar as friends. They then all left together. Matt was thinking that he made more friends. Well he was wrong, they beat Matt up and shot him many times as he was hanged up onto a fence. They stole his wallet. People found his body 18 hours later. At 5am his parents got a call, they had to fly all way to Wyoming knowing that their son may not even make it till they make it there. They made it in time but Matt was in rough shape. The parents thought that he was in a car wreck.
His brain stem was the only thing keeping him alive. No one knew how long he would live for.
They had his guidance counselor come to say his good byes and to see him. He was sad and told Matt to just let go and die so his parents don't have to make the decision. That night he died. His family was by his bed side.
Ellen gave a speech about how he was picked on and murdered at a event. She explained how mad she was because shes also gay. Protestors were at his funeral.
At the Matthew Shepard Foundation the mom speaks to parents about her story and how bullying needs to stop.
I can connect it to Safe spaces that we have read in class. It talks about people being gay. I feel like people should feel themselves. Which Matt did feel like himself. He was living one of the best lives that no one really gets to experience, TRAVELING! Not everyone gets to travel. He never even had suicidal thoughts of killing himself because the people around him his friends were all nice to him.
I cant really connect to any other article because we haven't really read about gays. We have talked about it in class and talked about how it shouldn't matter who you are, we are all human beings, we should all be treated the same way.
This is Matt Shepard. He always looked younger than he actually was.http://www.matthewshepard.org/
Here is a link of the Matthew Shepard Foundation it tells you about their mission statement and about all the work they have done so far. You can always donate if you wanted to.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/11/matthew-shepards-belongings-enter-smithsonian/575599/
Here's some more information on Matt.
This next link is very interesting. Its from FOX news saying how his murder still haunts Wyoming after 20 years.
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