Blazak Mayhem Tour 11 - Laramie, Wyoming Matthew Shepard murder

The last place Matthew Shepard was seen alive was the Fireside Bar. It's now JJ's and I visit on the eve of eve (hopefully) of the signing of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Randy
• Blazak
• Laramie
• Matthew
• Shepard

[blazak]

Tonight, on the 11th anniversary of Matthew's death, actors in 150 theaters around the world presented "The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later." This play investigates how Laramie has coped with the murder and dispels the revisionist myth that the murder was a "drug deal gone bad." There are those that will try to turn rumor into truth, but the reality of this hate crime is beyond dispute.

[Shamutu07]

What happened to Matthew was horrific, but to lionize him, when he was a meth dealer, and in fact one of his killers is gay, read "Doc" O'Connors testimony, and the other was bi-sexual, then every "rights" activists hi-jacked the whole situation and placed their own agendas and prejudices upon the incident, makes me just shake my head in wonder.

[blazak]

I understand your point, but it may be too late in a sense. Matthew Shepard has become the face for all the victims of anti-gay violence and harassment. His lifestyle, including any drug stuff, does not diminish the reality that if he were straight, he would probably be alive today.

[BradDePlanche]

I am in front of bar right now, and I too was hoping to sit where Matthew sat and have a beer in his honor. Happy or sad I must report that the bar has closed; it was most recently named, "JJ's Bar." I love what you have become to stand for, Matthew and will always honor the courageous efforts of your family and friends to rallied in the face of the reverend phelps. Matthew... Fly high beautiful man.

[boytoyville]

@blazak I don't know how you didn't argue with the lady who worked at the bar about the "drug deal gone bad" comment. I love how she "knew" Matthew. She probably "knew" him and her BFFs. I got fustrated at her ignorance just watching the video.

[blazak]

It's funny how much racists love this horrible murder in Knoxville. Anyone who cares about hate crimes believes that if this crime was motivated by racial hatred, it should be prosecuted as a civil rights/hate crimes case! Look up the FBI UCR data - there are plenty of black on white hate crimes reported. We have a long way to go before smashing through the bigotry of folks like this.

[Glitterateur]

That UGA study was fascinating, I remember reading about it when it came out - actually think they monitored arousal of participants when presented with erotic homosexual images.