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Matthew Shepard's Mom Readies For Sunday's Pride March
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 25, 2010
Modified Jun 25, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 25, 2010
Modified Jun 25, 2010
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Another of one of this Sunday's Pride March Grand Marshals spoke to NY1. Judy Shepard, who has fought against violence against gays after her son Matthew's murder in 1998, said that while she's happy the Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed into law last fall, "This is just the beginning, because this is the building block for future gay rights legislation, so this is really a big deal. And this is why, one reason why I really wanted to come to the parade this year, is because I want to celebrate that success and remind everyone that we just have so much more work to do and this is a great jumping-off point."
She added, "I want to move forward to the other events where we can actually make a change, a positive change in people's lives that that takes affect right away. Job protection is crucial to me and Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'" (One of her fellow Grand Marshals is Lt. Dan Choi; the other is Mississippi teen Constance McMillen.)
Shepard's book about her son, The Meaning of Matthew, was recently released in paperback. She said, "We owed it to Matt to tell people about who he really was. Not something that no one else could attain or aspire to, but just a really regular human being with great qualities and flaws."
Tagged
gay rights
judy shepard
lgbt rights
matthew shepard
pride march
pride weekend
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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