All black & white photos of Matthew on this site, including the banner photo, were taken by Gina van Hoof.
STATEMENT FROM MATTHEW SHEPARD FOUNDATION REGARDING PEREZHILTON.COM
The Matthew Shepard Foundation was surprised to learn this morning via media reports that blogger Perez Hilton (Mario Lavandeira) has announced he plans to donate, to our organization, the proceeds of a lawsuit he is contesting over an altercation which has been widely reported in recent days.
We had no advance notice or contact from Mr. Hilton or his representatives regarding this proposal, nor any communication since he posted this plan to his website.
We do not know the details of the lawsuit, whether it has been filed, the nature of his claims or the likely outcome. But because the lawsuit presumably involves the physical attack prompted by Mr. Hilton's admitted use of an anti-gay slur, the Foundation will be unable to accept any funds obtained in such a manner.
We very much appreciate the generosity of the offer to support our continuing work to memorialize Matthew through activism in defense of sexual minorities and in favor of understanding, compassion, and acceptance. But because so much of our work involves education to reduce the use of hateful language against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, or those so perceived, it would be inappropriate for us to benefit financially from circumstances in which such a verbal attack was involved.
While we applaud Mr. Hilton's apology to the LGBT community and their loved ones for his use of such a slur, we also feel compelled to point out that use of epithets can often lead to physical violence, as it appears it may have in this case, and that the Matthew Shepard Foundation has worked for more than 10 years to bring to people's attention the consequences of hateful or intolerant language.
Judy Shepard Chair, MSF Governing Board
Jason Marsden Executive Director as of July 1, 2009
Matthew Shepard Foundation Welcomes a New Executive Director
For the last ten years, I have served as both the President of the Governing Board and the Executive Director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Over the course of that time, the Foundation has grown enormously and changed from a small three person operation to an organization with national reach.
Today I am very happy to announce that Jason Marsden will be joining the Matthew Shepard Foundation as Executive Director July 1, 2009. He will be bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience in the non-profit world as well as the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual and Transgender communities. He has served as executive director for the last seven years of Wyoming nonprofit conservation advocacy organizations. He has also served as a statewide field director for the Wyoming Democratic Party’s coordinated campaign during a key U.S. Senate race and as a former political and environmental specialist for Wyoming’s statewide newspaper.
Jason was a leader and a public face for Wyoming’s gay and lesbian community. He has lobbied the Wyoming Legislature in 2007 and 2009, in opposition to a ban which would continue refusing to recognize out-of state gay marriages. He also served for nearly five years on the board of Wyoming’s 32-member progressive umbrella organization, in which conservation groups join with labor unions, civil rights advocates, educators, public employees, the progressive clergy, the trial-lawyer community, and the statewide LGBT organization, to further establish policy targets and educate candidates and lawmakers.
As you can see, he will be a great asset to our organization.
I will continue to serve as the President of the Governing Board and work closely with Jason, our Board and our staff as we continue our journey to Replace Hate with Understanding, Compassion, and Acceptance.
Please join me in welcoming Jason and as always, thank you for your tremendous support.
With warmest respect,
Hate Crime Bill Passes the House
Hate crime bill known as Matthew Shepard Act - passes the House in a 249 to 175 victory for equality. The next step is the Senate. Contact your Senators and let them know where you stand.
We also have some hopeful and even joyous news to celebrate. Same sex couples have had their civil rights acknowledged in Iowa and Vermont, Maine. They can now marry in those three states. Washington state has granted all of the state's civil rights of marriage to same sex couples without the word 'marriage', it is a really good start. Marriage in New Hampshire is one step closer as it passes the Senate in a 13 to 11 vote.
SIGN UP TODAY AND JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TO ERASE HATE
GOAL IS TO EQUIP ONE MILLION PEOPLE WITH TOOLS TO RAISE THEIR VOICES AND USE THEIR TALENTS TO ERASE HATE
Denver , CO - Denver , CO - In observance of the ten years since the murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, the Matthew Shepard Foundation launched an aggressive anti-hate campaign aimed at creating a movement of people working to lessen the impact of hate in society. Realizing the importance of this 10th year observance, Judy Shepard, Executive Director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, launched the ‘Campaign to Erase Hate’ by asking the crowd of more than 500 people to raise themselves to the power of ten and join with her in helping the Foundation fulfill its mission of erasing hate.
The overall goal of this new campaign is to equip individuals with the necessary tools to discuss and address hate in our society. These tools include personal webpages, resources on dealing with hateful speech and actions, monthly correspondence and most importantly, a way to invite ten others to join.
SEND THIS PAGE TO TEN OTHERS AND ASK THEM TO JOIN!
Stay Informed and Stay Involved in the fight to ERASE HATE by registering on the Matthew Shepard Foundation website today.
With your help we can continue our work to share Matthew's dream of replacing the hate in the world with understanding, compassion, and acceptance.
