The Meaning of Matthew

Shepard, Judy. The Meaning of Matthew. New York: Penguin Group, 2009.

In 1998 Matthew Shepard was taken out of the Wyoming town where he lived, tied to a fence post, savagely beaten, and left for dead, all because he was gay.  He struggled for life in a hospital bed, but succombed to his injuries and died a few days later.  This incident became the defining incident regarding violence against members of the GLBT community.

In this book, Matthew's mother Judy describes Matthew's childhood as well as his coming out to his family as gay. She details the court procedings after Matthew's death and her work with the Matthew Shepard foundation.  This is not an easy book to read, but it was definitely worth the time I spent on it.