Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 19:46:22 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAAD TO PARTICIPATE IN RALLY HONORING MATTHEW SHEPARD MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jennifer Einhorn, Director of Communications phone: (212) 807-1700 x14 e-mail: einhorn@glaad.org pager: (888) 656-9045 GLAAD TO PARTICIPATE IN RALLY HONORING MATTHEW SHEPARD STATEMENT FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL MEDIA ADVOCACY GROUP FOLLOWS NEW YORK, NY, TUESDAY, 13 OCTOBER, 1998-The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announced today that it would participate in a rally tomorrow night remembering the life of Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old University of Wyoming student who died early Monday morning of injuries sustained during an anti-gay attack in Laramie, Wyoming last Tuesday. GLAAD's executive director Joan M. Garry will join Elizabeth Birch of the Human Rights Campaign, Kerry Lobel of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force; celebrities Ellen DeGeneres, her mother Betty and partner actress Anne Heche; Emmy-winning actress Kristen Johnson (Third Rock From the Sun), and others to be announced. The event will take place at 7 p.m., Wednesday, October 14 on the West steps of the U.S. Capitol building. Matthew Shepard's assault and subsequent death stunned the lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender community, and has renewed calls for hate crime legislation at the state and national levels. At the rally tomorrow evening, community leaders and supporters of equal rights will call on Congress to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and for state legislators in the 28 states without inclusive hate crimes legislation to pass bills either adding sexual orientation to their existing laws, or to adopt laws which increase penalties for crimes motivated by hate. Joan M. Garry, executive director of GLAAD, issued the following statement regarding tomorrow's remembrance. "If there is one way to remember Matthew Shepard, it is with action. I am honored to participate in this event, but cannot tell you how much I wish I didn't have to. GLAAD works to ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community as a means of challenging discrimination. Doing this work has reinforced for me the importance of images: how they teach us and what messages they send. "The actions of the those who committed this act of unspeakable brutality are absolutely unconscionable. They have brought the deepest sorrow and devastation upon Matthew's family and friends and to the members of the lesbian and gay community the world over. But what is perhaps even more horrifying is the notion that Matthew's murderers are the product of a society which continues, in large part, to relegate lesbians and gay men to a position of inherent inferiority. In the last year, we have been likened to alcoholics and criminals, blamed for the decay of the American nation, and targeted by ads calling for us to change. Well, it is time for a change. "We must not lose another life to bigotry and intolerance. It's high time we secured legislation to protect all Americans - regardless of their sexual orientation or identity - from hateful violence." GLAAD is the nation's lesbian and gay media advocacy organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of combating homophobia and all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. -30- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.