GLBT community responds to play
By Spectrum
Published 12-6-2007
Some members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered community in Laramie have been anxiously awaiting “The ‘M’ Word”. Spectrum would like to thank the theater department for advance looks at the script, rehearsals and a chance to participate in discussions about the play.
We wholeheartedly agree that Laramie has suffered a bad reputation since the tragic murder of Matthew Shepard. When we go places and talk to other queer people we have to explain that living in Laramie is no more dangerous than anywhere else and that what happened here was not the product of the community but the actions of two individuals. The simple fact of the matter is that Matt’s murder was not an isolated event. GLBT individuals face violence daily and Matt was hardly the first or last person killed because of their sexuality or gender identity. We do still believe, however, that Matt WAS killed because he was gay.
In Friday’s article, Mr. Downs said the media seized hold of and sensationalized this “idea” and turned Laramie into a media circus. We maintain that one of the reasons for this is that it’s true. Mr. Downs says he’s gone to great lengths researching the incident and that he’s discovered the true reasoning behind the murder. Unfortunately, the article didn’t mention any sources other than a letter reportedly written by Aaron McKinney while under a court gag order. Though this letter may exist, how much stock should we give the words of a convicted murder?
If Matt’s murder was the result of a drug deal gone wrong, why were no drugs found, why did Matt’s killers pay for their beer with change and why was the attack so brutal and rage-filled? By their own admission, they already had Matt’s wallet. A line from the play states that Matt was shunned by the gay community in Laramie. This is completely untrue. Matt was a member of Spectrum and had many friends in the community, despite only arriving in town less than two months before his murder. Were these people contacted during Mr. Downs’ research? Those who are still Spectrum members were not.
We’ve learned that nobody contacted Matt’s family or The Matthew Shepard Foundation. Did anyone contact Dave O’Malley or Rob DeBree, the lead investigators in the case? They admit that when assigned to the case, they were homophobic, yet they have always said that night may have started as a robbery or other crime, but Matt was murdered because of who he was. They can explain that the arresting officer was specially trained in narcotics and noted no signs of intoxication other than the smell of alcohol and that there were no signs of withdrawal during their confinement. Possible drug involvement was investigated from day one and discounted. There seems to be more research to do.
Nobody is saying that unraveling what happened to Matt is easy. Only three people truly know what happened to Matt. Since one is dead and the other two are murderers, we will never know for certain everything that happened that October night. Spectrum welcomes “The ‘M’ Word” and hopes it does create discussion. We all need to remember that Matt was a real person who lived in this town and walked these streets until he was murdered. When talking and thinking about the play, we hope people will remember that hatred and violence do exist and that nobody should be a target because of their race, age, sexuality, religion, gender or any other aspect of identity.
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