Don’t allow Conservatives to lie about Matthew Shepard’s death

April 29, 2009 by William K. Wolfrum

This is important. Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina just spoke in front of the House of Representatives and outright lied about the murder of Matthew Shephard.

You can see the lie being told in the YouTube video below. I don’t want to advance the cause of her lie – which has been repeated several times on Fox News. Simply, Matthew Shepard was murdered because he was gay. He was the victim of a hate crime. His murder terrified other gays and lesbians and was meant to inspire fear in the gay community.

The horrific events that took place shortly after midnight on October 7, 1998 went against everything that Matthew embodied. Two men, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, lead him to a remote area east of Laramie where they demonstrated unimaginable acts of hate. Matthew was tied to a split-rail fence where he was beaten and left to die in the cold of the night. Almost 18 hours later he was found by a cyclist who initially mistook him for a scarecrow.

The Hate Crimes Bill will be passed. But we can not allow homophobes to lie about the death of Matthew Shepard. These lies become truths over time and we can not allow his memory, life and death to be twisted by sick individuals like Foxx and Rupert Murdoch.

To Act:

In case you’d like to call one of Rep. Foxx’s offices and politely let her know she’s got her facts wrong and politely request that she not perpetrate lies about Matthew Shepard and the much-needed Hate Crimes Bill, you can call her Washington office at 202-225-2071 or her North Carolina offices toll-free at 1-866-677-8968. You can also contact the National Republican Congressional Committee at 202-479-7000 and politely let them know you disapprove of Republican House members disparaging victims of hate crimes and telling demonstrable lies on the House floor. (HT Liss)

Others Writing About Foxx’s lies about Matthew Shepard

Below the Beltway
–WKW