Matthew Shepard, Symbol for Gay Rights, Laid To Rest In DC

[appalachiablue]

Fri. Oct. 26, Wash., DC, 'Matthew Shepard, Symbol For Gay Rights, Laid To Rest In DC.' After 20 years without a permanent resting place, the remains of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old college student whose brutal murder in 1998 has come to symbolize the plight of the LGBTQ community in America, were interred at the Washington National Cathedral on Friday. More than 2,000 people gathered at the Episcopal cathedral, the second-largest cathedral in the country, to celebrate Shepard's life, mourn his death and honor his memory.

The service offered a measure of closure for Shepard's parents who, until now, hadn't found a spot that seemed suitable or safe enough to rest their child's remains. It also provided a moment of unity and collective grieving for those in the LGBTQ community, for whom Shepard's death has for decades represented the pain and discrimination many had experienced themselves.

The setting inside the same sprawling cathedral in the nation's capital where U.S. presidents are memorialized lent to the weight of the moment as hymns, speeches, choral music and prayers for love, tolerance and equality bounced off the towering columns and sweeping arches, echoing across the nave.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/matthew-shepard-symbol-for-gay-rights-laid-to-rest-in-dc/ar-BBOUV7S?li=BBnbcA1

[wasupaloopa]

1. Very touching. The fact that they could not

find a safe place to bury him speaks to the fact that hatred in this country is out in the open and is not ashamed.

[appalachiablue]

2. Refuge and peace now Matthew.

"Matt loved the church," said Dennis Shepard, Matthew's father. "Matt was blind, just like this beautiful house of worship. He did not see skin color. He did not see religion. He did not see sexual orientation. All he saw was a chance to have another friend. Just like this beautiful home we have here.

"It is so important we now have a home for Matt," he said. "A home that others can visit. A home that is safe from haters."