Judy Shepard Speaks @ Myers Park Baptist Church

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by Fox Charlotte

Story Created: Feb 21, 2011 at 12:33 AM EDT

Story Updated: Feb 21, 2011 at 8:23 AM EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - In Myers Park Baptist's Heaton Hall, about 150 people, young and old, showed up Sunday afternoon to listen to Judy Shepard speak.  You might not recognize her, but you have probably heard about her son, Matthew.  The 21-year-old college student was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming in 1998 because he was gay.

Since then, Shepard has worked for gay rights legislation across the country.  She says, "It's not really just about the gay issues, it's about the intolerance of people who are perceived to be different."

Shepard has run into opposition from lawmakers, including North Carolina Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, who called Matthew's murder a "hoax."  Shepard's also newly aware of Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James, who's called gay people "sexual predators" and referred to a fellow commissioner's son as a "homo."  Shepard says, "He's (James) giving voice to what a lot of people are thinking, I'm extremely confident that it's definitely a minority, but the majority needs to take him in hand because he's sending a totally wrong message to say those kind of hateful things in such a public situation is unacceptable, it's just unacceptable."

"He's a bigot, he's a hate monger, he doesn't understand how his rhetoric hurts people, especially our young people," says Shane Windmeyer.  Windmeyer is the executive director of Campus Pride, a national group based in Charlotte that helps students create safe college experiences.  He says Charlotte's got a long way to go when it comes to equality.  "Our city has not done nearly anything when it comes to domestic partner benefits, when it comes to city inclusion, non-discrimination policies when you compare it to a Minneapolis."

Non-discrimination is what Shepard says she wants to tackle next on a federal level.  "In over 30 states in the union, you can still be fired for being gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender and that makes no sense to me because it screams inequality," says Shepard.

Bill James responded to Shepard's comments by telling FOX Charlotte, "Homosexual conduct is illegal in North Carolina. People are free to disagree with me but what they are really upset about is the law...a law which they lack the majority to change."
 

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