Tenth anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death to be marked on television and off...

Thanks to Damon Romine of GLAAD for sending me a round-up of programming marking Sunday's 10th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death. He was a 21-year-old University of Wyoming student who was tied to a split-rail fence, savagely beaten and left to die in the cold of night. I got a lump in my throat just now looking for pictures of Matthew to post. Such a tragedy, such a loss. And we still have these kind of hate crimes against gay people occurring all across our country.

According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), the total number of victims reporting anti-LGBT violence increased by 24 percent from 2006 to 2007. The number of anti-LGBT murders also doubled during that time period - only five murders less than the year Matthew Shepard lost his life to anti-LGBT violence.

GLAAD notes that despite all this, sexual orientation and gender identity are to this day not included in any federal hate crimes legislation. Although we have come a long way, we still have further to go.
Here is some programming that tell Matthew's story well and are airing on Suinday:

The Lifetime Movie Network's 2002 film "The Matthew Shepard Story" for which Stockard Channing won an Emmy for her portrayal of Judy Shepard. It airs ar 12pm ET/9am PT.

HBO will be rebroadcasting the GLAAD Media Award winning 2002 film "The Laramie Project" at 10:15pm on HBO Signature West and at 7:15pm on HBO Signature East. Click here for more information. [Check listings for local airtime]

Events:
The first of two remembrances of Matthew Shepard's murder will be held by the Matthew Shepard Foundation at Loring Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Monday, Oct. 13. Open to the public, the event will feature music and speakers including Judy Shepard, as well as special guests, such as openly gay actor T.R. Knight and author of The Laramie Project, Moises Kaufman. Click here for more information: http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer

The second observance of the 10 years since Matthew's death will occur at Napa Valley College in Napa, California, on Oct. 19th. Speakers include Judy Shepard as well as performances by several of the original cast members of The Laramie Project.