"Losing Matthew Shepard"--A Review

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the murder of Matthew Shepard, its background and repercussions, as portrayed in B. Loffreda's book "Losing Matthew Shepard." The reviewer first delves into the myths Loffreda presents surrounding gay populations outside of major urban centers. The paper then outlines the active homophobia in some rural areas, such as Wyoming, where the Shepard murder took place. The reviewer finds Loffreda's analysis to be extensive, since she was able to talk to many people in the town who otherwise avoided speaking to the media. Her investigation took place at the same time as the trial and other events related to the crime, making her ability to get answers from a shell-shocked public all the more remarkable.

From the Paper:

"Wyoming is a part of the country that sees itself as separated from the sort of tensions ascribed by the populace to places like New York City. Some may also see New York and Los Angeles as bastions of gay populations while trying to deny that there are any gay people at all in the hinterlands, though clearly there are. Shepard had jus recently joined a group at the university called the Lesbian Gay bisexual Transgender Association (LGBTA), and though this was the only gay organization on campus and in Laramie as a whole, its existence shows that there was a sizeable gay population in the area. Others in the group had been attacked, leading to a view that anti-gay feelings were pervasive and that these might have contributed to the death of Shepard."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Barak, G., Flavin, J., & Leighton, P. (2001). Class, Race, Gender and Crime: Social Realities of Justice in America. Los Angeles: Roxbury Publishing.
• Loffreda, B. (2000). Losing Matthew Shepard. New York: Columbia University Press.

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