Oct. 16: Matthew Shepard’s mom speaks at annual Week Without Violence

Judy-Shepard-80PULLMAN, Wash. – The mother of Matthew Shepard – the Laramie, Wyo., college student whose 1998 murder inspired the federal hate-crime prevention act of 2009 – will speak at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, in the CUB ballroom. It is part of the annual Week Without Violence hosted by the YWCA of Washington State University.

Judy Shepard will discuss her 2009 memoir, “The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie and a World Transformed.” A book sale and signing will follow the free, public talk.

Shepard and her husband founded the nonprofit Matthew Shepard Foundation to advocate for gay and lesbian rights and hate-crime prevention. She speaks to a variety of audiences about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) issues.

The Week Without Violence promotes awareness about domestic and sexual violence/abuse. For more information, contact Missy Gill at mgill@wsu.edu.