Matthew Shepard Foundation and Tectonic Theater Project Respond to Kansas School Board's Removal of THE LARAMIE PROJECT

Students of the Senior English Composition class at Kansas' Lansing High School will go without their "Social Justice Expository Unit" following a recent vote made by the Lansing Board of Education.

The five-week unit, which usually includes Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project's The Laramie Project, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists, and the documentary 13th, has been removed from the school's curriculum following a petition created by Kristen Workman. Workman who removed her daughter from the class last fall because the subject matter was "not age appropriate." On January 30, the Lansing School Board voted 4-3 to cut the material from the course.

The Matthew Shepard Foundation and Tectonic Theater Project have responded to the news by making copies of The Laramie Project available for all Lansing students who wish to read it on their own time. Below, they write an open letter to Lansing students on the subject:

The Matthew Shepard Foundation and Tectonic Theater Project are concerned and troubled by the news that the Lansing Board of Education has made the decision to remove The Laramie Project and other educational content from your English Language Arts course curriculum. As we know, most Americans are not in favor of book bans and educational censorship, and we feel it critical to stand by the courageous individuals who publicly oppose the ban.

Young people around the country must be given the opportunity to experience a variety of viewpoints. For that reason, the Matthew Shepard Foundation and Tectonic Theater Project wish to offer all Lansing students impacted by the decision a free copy of The Laramie Project for their own personal reading.

To request a copy, please email your name and mailing address to: thelaramieprojectforlansing@tectonictheaterproject.org

"In 1998, the members of Tectonic Theater Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming after the brutal murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard. Over several months, our artists conducted over 200 interviews that form the basis of the play's text. Its characters are real people from widely varied backgrounds with diverse perspectives. "

- Matt Joslyn, Executive Director of Tectonic Theater Project
"At Tectonic Theater Project we create work that advocates for radical empathy and thoughtful dialogue.

We stand with the students of Lansing"
- Moisés Kaufman, Artistic Director of Tectonic Theater Project

"It's the goal of the Matthew Shepard Foundation to create an environment where people are afforded an opportunity to discuss the play and its messages, the hate they encounter in their own lives, and how they can work collectively to build a more understanding and compassionate community."

- Dana Juniel, EVP of Strategy & Communications, Matthew Shepard Foundation

The Laramie Project, written by Moisés Kaufman and the Members of Tectonic Theater Project, was named one of the most influential plays of the past quarter-century by the New York Times, was made into a feature film by HBO, has been translated to over 30 languages, and remains today one of the most performed plays in the United States. It is published by Random House.

For additional information on The Laramie Project, visit tectonictheaterproject.org. To learn more about Matthew Shepard, visit matthewshepard.org.