Frank Willis writes:

Subject: About the Laramie Project

About the Laramie Project, people have the right to raise questions. Why did Matthew Shepard get in a car with straight guys in the middle of the night? (it’s amazing to me that no one has raised this question). Recently in a Newsweek interview, his mother , Judy Shepard, said that Matthew had a "dark side." Did he seek out dangerous situations with heterosexual males? Since Matthew obviously had "gaydar," he knew he was going out with straight men. An earlier episode in his life seems to show his penchant for seeking this kind of danger. In a March, 1999 interview with Vanity Fair, Judy Shepard discussed that while Matthew was on vacation in Morocco during his senior year in high school, a gang there raped him. Again, it seems that Matthew Shepard put himself in a perilous situation with straight males (I've been to Morocco many times and people don't get dragged off the street and raped). Obviously, Shepard didn't deserve to be murdered, but it is doubtful that he was the innocent martyr he is made out to be.

Byron Edgington writes:

Subject: Laramie Project +10

Frank:

Thanks for the feedback on Laramie Project + 10 years. I agree that Mathew Shepard's background may have included a bit of let us say unsavory, perhaps even dangerous behavior, as everyone's does. How I got through the teen years is a mystery. Still, I have a feeling that if he'd thought for a moment those men would actually beat him to death that evening he would have declined the ride. Your comment about his sanctification obviously refers to what happened after his death, and the spotlight focused on Laramie--and nationally--forcing us all to confront our collective homophobia. I don't believe for one second there's a so-called 'gay agenda'. What I do believe is that LGBT people in this country are made to feel that they have a reason to be fearful if they come out. Their quest for legal protection is nothing more than a demand that the law be applied equally. They're not asking for anything less than the rest of us have already--the ability to be who we are without fear of reprisal. Seems like a simple request in 2009 America. It's easy to get into blaming the victim. Women who are raped get that all the time--what were you wearing? Why were you in the alley after dark? etc. At the end of the day it seems obvious to me that Matt Shepard was beaten because he was a gay man, and had nothing to do with his proclivity to take chances. Anyway, thanks for reading the piece, and I welcome any other input. Best: BE