The Pride March will highlight hundreds of organization within and supporting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered community. One of those organizations has made great strides in this community and around the country--The Matthew Shepard Foundation was founded by Dennis and Judy Shepard following the brutal murder of their only son, Matthew.Awareness about the tragic murder (and about the consequences of homophobia) grew with the popularity of Moisés Kaufman's play The Laramie Project, which was made into an all-star film for HBO. It essentially tells the story of Matthew Shepard, one of the most prominent hate crime victims of the past few decades. "In The Laramie Project, there is a scene where people are marching in tribute to Matthew at the end of a homecoming parade. During the monologue describing the event, the man (who due to a broken leg couldn't also march) describes seeing about a hundred people tagged onto the parade marching behind the banner. In his apartment he had one window facing the beginning of the parade and one which faced where the parade wound up. By the time the parade got to the second window, there were five times as many marchers. Five hundred people were marching behind the same banner," according to a press release on the March.
Last year in the New York Pride March, 10-15 people were enlisted to march behind the banner. This year, the Shepard Foundation is aiming for more than 100.Marchers will meet at about 11AM on 56th Street Between 6th and 7th. "Gay, Straight, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transexual, Omnisexual...whoever you are...the Matthew Shepard Foundation exists to spread a message of hope. A hope that one day we will all embrace one another's differences and live peacefully with one another."Would-be participants should e-mail friendsofmatthew@aol.com with their email addresses and phone numbers, and a team leader will be in touch in the next few days to confirm participation. If you cannot march, please be sure to visit www.matthewshepard.org and make a charitable contribution in honor of this year's NYC Pride March.
