Matthew Shepard Story Facilitator 's Guide
The Matthew Shepard Story is a 2002 award-winning film based on the true story of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay man who was murdered in 1998. Rather than following Matthew 's story directly, the film follows Matthew’s parents after the conviction of the two men responsible for the murder of their son. The movie touches on themes like homophobia, assault, rape, coming out, love, friendship, and justice.
Setting Up
It is important to create the appropriate environment for the film.
Ideally you would want the environment to be darker, quiet, relaxed, and private enough to not be totally interrupted.
The participants should be relatively undistracted as to pay attention to the movie.
For accessibility
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Ask the attendees: “Who knows who Matthew Sheppard is?”
Wait to see if anyone has any responses. It is likely someone has some idea who he was.
If no one does or if there is not a complete description, add to it yourself while explaining the significance of the movie.
“Matthew Shepard was a young gay man from Wyoming who was murdered by two other men for being gay. His death is arguably one of the most well known hate crimes around homosexuality and helped to establish precedence for future convictions and non-profit work for the LGBT community. This movie is about the journey of Matthew’s parents after the conviction as they grapple with his son’s journey and what kind of legacy it will leave.”
Advise the attendees that the film touches on topics like homophobia, violence, rape and features graphic depictions of physical and sexual assault.
Remind them if they feel triggered by any of the material they are free to step out of the room if they feel the need.
Let them know that they will be asked to reflect on the film and how it ties to their experiences and their brotherhood journey.
During the Film
Now that the movie is over, it’s time to get down to
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Reflection Questions
Utilize these questions to encourage quality, reflective conversation.
“What parts of the movie resonated with you? What parts did you identify with?”
“How does this story tie into the Delta Lambda Phi mission and our values?”
“Like many LGBT people, Matthew struggled to accept his homosexual identity, can any of you relate to that at all? Maybe being LGBT or some other identity that you posses.”
“Matthew’s mother and father had a hard time to with his coming out and coming to terms with his identity. Why do you think that was?”
“How do you think the people of Matthew’s hometown dealt with his death and with the trial?”
“Justice is an important theme of Delta Lambda Phi, do you feel justice was done for Matthew? Why or why not?”
“Would you (or would you be able to) ask for the death penalty for McKinney?”
“Do you feel like you would ever be able to forgive the McKinney for what he did?”
Facilitation Tips
It is important that individuals share their answers to these questions with the
On October 14th, 2016 in class we watched “Two Spirits” by Lydia Nibley. Basically the film explored the cultural context behind a tragic and senseless murder of the main character. Fred was part of an honored “Navajo” youth who was killed at the age of sixteen by a man who bragged to his friends that he was nothing but a “fag”. While walking home from a carnival he was chased by one of his friends. Once his friend caught up to Fred, he pulled him down from a mountain and smashed his head with a heavy rock. Fred laid there for five days straight where two young boys found his body lying there. He was labeled as a “two-spirit” who was possessed of balancing masculine and feminine traits. In the film, there are two parts that are put together effortlessly like the people it discusses. Most of the documentary focuses on Fred’s murder, but the real issues in the film were those of the lesbian, gay, and transgender community and how its members were viewed in a
raised, and the film’s bring the awareness to the forefront while also considering the underlying
E: This is all rather interesting, but what does the Gospel of Matthew of concerning Jesus’s lineage. In other words, how do they back up his “messiahship”?
In his narrative, Justin Burnell recounts his memories of his biological father changing into to a woman. There are many ways the people in this story reacts but as a whole, in his recounts, they are almost the same. The heavy atmosphere in this story tells you how this story is going to go. The author does not give the year this takes place but just the location, in Knoxville, gives the reader insight on the hate that would be prominent.
"You robbed me of something very precious and I will never forgive you for that. Mr. McKinney, I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives. May you have a long life and may you thank Matthew every day for it." Those were the words said by Dennis Shepard at the sentencing of Aaron McKinney, one of the men who tortured, robbed, and murdered his son Matthew Shepard. He was given a life sentence. States must inflict a harsher punishment for people who commit gay violence crimes because over the years hate crimes based on sexual orientation have become the third highest category reported.
...nce to any behaviors juxtaposed to that of the heterosexual relationship. The narrative of Carl’s mom not only emphasizing the contempt for homosexuality in the Black community but illustrates the open demonization that is commonly viewed in the African American perspective. (Ward 501) It is noteworthy to illustrate the the countenance that Carl’s mom that made Floyd feel repulsive and brazenly aware of his “wrongness”. This reference can be equated to how Homosexuality in the Black community is wrong and brings about the lingering perceptions of Heterosexuality being right and homosexuality being wrong (Thomas 1996:59)
In the seven years of trials, appeals, and retrials, the Scottsboro Boys faced monumental challenges legally. Their trials and retrials were not even remotely close to fair and just. These trials set a precedent for similar cases in both the South and North. This case caused protests all over Europe and America, fighting the injustice the Boys suffered. Similar actions are being taken for gay rights today. There may not be a sensational criminal case involving gay rights, but there certainly have been many landmark and newsworthy civil cases in the state and federal supreme courts in the United States for gay rights recently. The injustices shown in the Scottsboro cases may not be able to be resolved for the nine Boys, but we can learn from these inequities and apply them to modern day issues, like gay rights. Fiat iustitia ruat caelum.
The first topic covered will be the plot which was mostly accurate despite the shortened aspects of the film. The
The Templar’s refusal, although harsh, seemed to affirm the goodness Nathan saw in the young man, “A modest greatness would hide behind the monstrous, merely to escape admiration” (212). The lengths the Templar went to in order to save a life is a testament in itself of his goodness, far more powerful than his insults. “I find it strange that such an ugly spot [on Templar’s robe], soiled by the fire, bears better witness than a man’s own lips” (212). For Nathan, friends do not concern themselves with social status, religious beliefs, or titles; but rather, they can distinguish between the man and the facade. In Nathan’s words, "are Jew and Christian, Jew and Christian first and human beings second?" (214).
“What makes for a livable world?”, and what constitutes the human?”, are two questions Judith Butler inquires in her opening paragraph and throughout her writing that determine the mindsets of individuals throughout our society. Both of these arguments are answered differently, by different persons, within different cultures, yet play a dramatic role in Butler’s view of herself, the LGBT community, and most of all, every other human
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
This movie is a wonderful production starting from 1960 and ending in 1969 covering all the different things that occurred during this unbelievable decade. The movie takes place in many different areas starring two main families; a very suburban, white family who were excepting of blacks, and a very positive black family trying to push black rights in Mississippi. The movie portrayed many historical events while also including the families and how the two were intertwined. These families were very different, yet so much alike, they both portrayed what to me the whole ‘message’ of the movie was. Although everyone was so different they all faced such drastic decisions and issues that affected everyone in so many different ways. It wasn’t like one person’s pain was easier to handle than another is that’s like saying Vietnam was harder on those men than on the men that stood for black rights or vice versa, everyone faced these equally hard issues. So it seemed everyone was very emotionally involved. In fact our whole country was very involved in president elections and campaigns against the war, it seemed everyone really cared.
“The Mission” is based on a true story that occurred around the borderlands of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil in the years 1750’s according to the film and history. The Treaty of Madrid of 1750 with the Spanish and Portuguese caused both havoc and death for the people of the Guarini and the members of the Jesuits. The Jesuits, members of the church, tried to bring Christianity and civilization to the natives while keeping at peace with Spain and Portugal. The Jesuits were the teachers for the natives; Teaching them not only the Christian religion but also civilization. Father Gabriel, a Jesuit, is first introduced in the film when he is showing his respects to a former Jesuit priest killed by the natives. He walks through the South American
Based on a true story, the movie ‘Lone Survivor’ features four Navy SEALs that set out on a mission to Afghanistan with orders to capture and kill Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. The Navy SEALS are detected by villagers and the mission was compromised. Ultimately, the mission had been discovered and the men found themselves surrounded by dozens of Taliban soldiers. One of the Navy SEAL soldiers managed to dispatch to base and retrieve assistance but the Taliban shoot down the helicopter. During battle, three of the Navy SEAL soldiers were killed leaving one still alive.
The media represented the murder of Mathew Shepard as the perfect example of a hate-crime. However, JoAnn Wypijewski, in her article titled “The Boys Life” (Wypijewski 1), takes a deeper look at the case of Mathew Shepard and comes up with a more accurate thesis on why violence occurs in most situations. At the end of her essay, she writes, “It's said that hate-crime laws symbolize a society's values. If that is true, it means gay people are recognized only in suffering, and straight people are left off the hook. It means Shepard may stand for every homosexual, but McKinney and Henderson stand just for themselves. It means nothing for life and everything for death” (Wypijewski 13). She argues that this quote is completely false and is the media version of what happened to Mathew Shepard. In reality, she explains her thesis on violence through this false quote, she expects the reader to come up with the correct version of this quote. The version believed to be correct by Wypijewski is that straight people and gay people, everyone is equally connected to this case and anyone could have been in the spot of Shepard or the killers. In reality, Shepard not only stands for every homosexual, but for everyone, and McKinney and Henderson do not stand just for themselves, but they also stand for everyone. The Media’s view shows people get nothing for life, but everything for death, no one would know who Mathew Shepard was if he was alive today. The correct interpretation of Wypijewski’s quote leads into her thesis on violence. Her thesis on violence is that both the perpetrator and victim are common individuals; violence is used to assert one’s manliness, and violence escalates from the original intention by men with self-esteem issues.