This is truly a Josh & Josh exclusive. I wrote a story about Judy Shepard, the mother of murdered hate crime victim Matthew Shepard, for the issue of a local magazine that hits newsstands next week. You're getting bonus material that doesn't even appear in the article. The story posted here is comprised of Judy's direct quotes. What Judy Shepard had to say was equal parts funny, eloquent, and heartbreaking.
"You might say, 'Oh, I’m not gay, I don’t have anything to come out about.' If you’re Jewish, you need to talk about discrimination; if you’re a person of color, you need to talk about it. If you’re Muslim, you need to talk about it. And not just you, but your families and friends. They need to know your story and they need to tell your story. Because nobody will know or care if that doesn’t happen.
No white politician who is straight and white and over 65 will ever know what it’s like to be GLBT unless you talk to them and tell them what your story is, the discrimination you face and fear everyday because we don’t protect you.
And when our leader comes on the TV and says gay people can’t get married, people think you’re second class citizens and they hurt you because they think you don’t matter. Only you have the power to change that by telling your stories. And voting. Talk and vote. You can’t make the changes except from the inside."
Click here to read the full Judy Shepard exclusive.
