Remembering Matthew Shepard, 25 years after his murder

NPR
Published November 30, 2023 at 6:20 AM CST

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A pair of Matthew Shepard's sandals are displayed at the White House as part of the commemoration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month on June 25, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
A service commemorating the 25th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard is being held at Washington’s National Cathedral on Thursday night.

Shepard was a 21-year-old University of Wyoming student who was brutally assaulted and left to die because he was gay. His murder shocked the community of Laramie, Wyoming, and the world.

Rev. Anne Kitch, a relative of Shepard’s and an Episcopal priest, spoke at his funeral 25 years ago. She’s delivering a sermon at Thursday night’s service.

In it, she remembers carrying Shepard’s ashes to his funeral in Casper, Wyoming in 1998. She says homophobic protestors carrying hateful signs shouted at her and her family as they approached the church:

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