Judy Shepard was unable to travel and her event at St. Luke’s is postponed until another date can be arranged.
OASIS was to sponsor a forum with LGBT-rights advocate Judy Shepard here at St. Luke’s. She is the mother of Matthew Shepard, whose 1998 murder in Wyoming arguably triggered a change in the way America thinks about gay people.
Shepard will speak about her son’s death, its effect on her family, and their evolution into advocate-allies of the LGBT community. She and her husband Dennis decided to put their grief into action and established the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which is dedicated toward social justice, diversity awareness, and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
In 2009, Shepard authored a book, The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie and a World Transformed. It explores the family’s journey through the very public trial of Matthew’s assailants and the decision to embark on civil rights work.
A Question and Answer session and reception will follow.
The OASIS is the LGBT Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. It marks 25 years of mission on June 1.