Losing Matt Shepard
Subtitle: life and politics in the aftermath of anti-gay murder
By: Beth Loffreda.
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2000
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 189
Subjects: Shepard, Matthew, -- d. 1998 -- Death and burial; Gay men -- Crimes against -- Wyoming -- Laramie; Homicide -- Wyoming -- Laramie; Homophobia -- Wyoming -- Laramie; Laramie (Wyo.) -- Social conditions
Description: "This book shows how the politics of sexuality - perhaps now the most divisive issue in America's culture wars - unfolds in a remote and sparsely populated area of the country. Loffreda captures daily life since October 1998 in Laramie, Wyoming - a community in a rural, poor, conservative, and breathtakingly beautiful state without a single gay bar or bookstore.

Rather than focus only on Matt Shepard, she presents a full range of characters, including a panoply of locals (both gay and straight), the national gay activists who quickly descended on Laramie, the indefatigable homicide investigators, the often unreflective journalists of the national media, and even a cameo appearance by Peter, Paul, and Mary.".

"Loffreda courses through a wide ambit of events: from the attempt by students and townspeople to rise above the anti-gay theatrics of defrocked minister Fred Phelps to the spontaneous, grassroots support for Matt at the university's homecoming parade, from the emotionally charged town council discussions about bias crimes legislation to the tireless efforts of the investigators to trace that grim night's trail of evidence.

Charting these and many other events, Losing Matt Shepard recounts not only the typical responses to Matt's death but also the surprising stories of those whose lives were transformed but ignored in the media frenzy."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.