Salem State Hosts Human Rights Activist Judy Shepard For Forum

SALEM, MA — Salem State this week will host a free, virtual forum with Judy Shepard, a human rights activist whose son, Matthew, was tortured and killed in a 1998 anti-gay attack in Laramie, Wyoming that brought the persecution of those with different sexual orientations to the forefront of the nation's attention.

Judy Shepard is the founding president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation Board of Directors and served as its executive director from 1999 to 2009. She now travels across the country talking about how individuals can "make this world a more accepting place for everyone, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation."

She wrote the 2009 memoir, "The Meaning of Matthew," where she discussed how the family dealt with the killing of Matthew, the prosecution of the case, the media coverage and how they planned to continue to work for human rights on Matthew's behalf.

The forum is Thursday at 7 p.m. and is free to the public.

Those planning to attend can register here.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)