Laramie Project

Dir. Dakota Rose

Written by Larry Kramer

Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old University of Wyoming student, died on October 12, 1998 after being beaten, tied to a fence, and left there for 18 hours in freezing temperatures. On the night of his attack, he was coerced into getting into a truck with Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson and was then brought to a field outside Laramie, Wyoming where the incident took place.

He was found the next morning by a bicyclist who thought he was a scarecrow. His face was covered in blood, except for where his tears washed them away. 

MATT’S LIFE:

Matthew Shepard, known by his friends as Matt, was described as a ---. Doc O’Connor described an incident where Matthew was beaten by a bartender for supposedly making a pass at him. Doc asked, “‘What did you do to the people who beat the shit out of you?’ He said, ‘I forgave them and went on with my life.’ Then he paid for my dinner. He was a real nice guy, Matt.” (Vanity Fair).

Matthew came from a wealthy family. He was often well dressed, which could have made him a target for McKinney. Despite Matthew’s privileged upbringing, his life was far from easy. During a trip to Morocco, he was raped and beaten. He was HIV positive, living in the aftermath of the AIDs epidemic which plagued gay communities. Additionally, he had experienced a long battle with depression and had been hospitalized for suicidal ideation.

THE TRIAL:

Aaron McKinney confessed to police that he and Russell Henderson picked Matthew up at Fireside Bar & Lounge and drove him out of town, where he tied him to a fence, pistol-whipped him, and left him. They both plead guilty to avoid the death penalty and were sentenced to serve two consecutive life terms. 

The killers’ girlfriends served prison sentences as well for being accessories to the crime. McKinney’s girlfriend, Kristen Price,18, served 60 days of a 180 day sentence. Henderson’s girlfriend, Chastity Vera Pasley, 20, served 6 months of an 18 month sentence. 

It has been noted that McKinney used homophobic slurs in his confession. His lawyers argued that Matthew put his hand on McKinney’s leg, triggering a fit of rage that drove him to murder Matthew. The judged denied the “gay panic” defense.

In an interview, 20 years after the murder took place, Henderson agreed to an interview about the attack. He denied that the incident took place due to Matthew’s sexual orientation. In this interview with The Associated Press, Henderson said that, “As tragic as it is, and as unfortunate as it is, and as hard as it is for Matthew’s family, and for my family, for all of us, to go through, it opened up all of us to be better people and really think about who we are,” (Mercury News).

McKinney came home covered in blood and explained to Price what happened. After washing him up, she recounts what he told her, saying that Matthew had come onto them and they decided to teach him a lesson by robbing him. After taking Matthew’s wallet, he claimed that the reason he kept beating Matthew was that Matthew saw his license plate. They later engaged in a fight with Jeremy Herrera and Emiliano Morales, high-school dropouts. When the police showed up, McKinney and Henderson ran away. Police then searched the truck, finding Matthew’s credit card and leather shoes, along with a .357 magnum covered in blood. Kristen took Aaron to the hospital, who had a fractured skull after his altercation with Herrera and Morales. Then, she and Chastity got rid of the evidence. They drove 50 miles to Cheyenne to dispose of the bloody clothes and, strangely, hid Russell’s bloody shoes in Chastity’s mother’s shed.

THE LIVES OF MCKINNEY AND HENDERSON

The element of class plays an essential role in this play. Matthew’s parents were upper middle class and could afford to provide a college education for their son. Matt’s killers, on the other hand, weren’t as well off. Russell’s mother, Cindy Dixon died after the attack, aged 40, discovered frozen to death. She was known to be an alcoholic and battered wife. Aaron lived in a trailer park with his single mother who died unexpectedly when he was 16. He dropped out of school and began working.

According to Ryan Bopp, one of McKinney’s friends, revealed that McKinney both sold and used methamphetamines. Bopp also revealed that McKinney was on a drug binge the week before he attacked Matthew. ABC news writes, “Bopp also admits that a week before the murder he was so desperate for methamphetamine, that he traded McKinney a .357-Magnum pistol in exchange for one gram of methamphetamine. McKinney would later use that weapon to beat Shepard,” (ABC). Additionally, McKinney and his girlfriend Kristen Price had an infant at the time of the killing. He is described in The Laramie Project as a “kid” by Anonymous (500). I found this significant because it made me ask: is a kid capable of this kind of crime?

IMPACT:

Laramie sits fifty miles west of Wyoming’s capital in empty plains, devoid of trees. Most of the employment comes from the University. 90% of the population is white and about 20% live below the poverty line. (Vanity Fair) 

His murder shocked the Laramie Community. His story was reported on the news nationwide. After his death, there was a great deal of collective grief. Residents were devastated by the loss and mourned as a community. However, many Laramie residents felt as if his death was blamed on the community. The highly publicized murder brought news reporters and journalists, making the town much more busy than the residents are used to. 

Wyoming remains split on whether or not Matthew was targeted because he was gay. The state is hesitant to adopt policies to prevent anti-LGBTQ violence. There is a culture of conservatism in Wyoming. The west is viewed as a form of old America, a place full of good people with traditional family values. Matthew’s murder can be interpreted as an attempt to preserve the old west. Religious values influenced the reaction as well. The “live and let live” phrase used by residents in the play epitomizes the ideology surrounding gay rights in this community. There wasn’t a culture of acceptance. People simply did not want to know. 

In the article by vanity fair, resident Jesse Fisher says, “Christianity,” she says, “is about tolerance and forgiveness. It hurts us that [the protesters] are calling themselves Christians. Church is the place that is supposed to take sinners in—church is the place you can go. Everyone has sins. I have sins, like I had a son out of marriage.” She thinks that after his death Matthew may have things to reckon for, but “maybe Matthew already made his peace with God—how can we know?”

The killers were characterized as rednecks by the media, angering the Laramie residents. They felt that this stereotype characterized their town in an inaccurate way. Additionally, in knowing these boys and their disadvantages, residents had more sympathy for them.

Matthew quickly became a symbol for the gays rights movement. He was viewed as a martyr and candlelit vigils were held across the country. Even President Clinton commented on his death and urged Congress to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. 

In his memory, Matthew’s parents began the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Their mission is to combat homophobia by creating conversation, providing resources, and speaking out against hatred. 

GLOSSARY

Unitarian Church: Unitarians are Christians that believe God is one entity, rather than being composed of three: the father, son, and holy spirit. They do not believe Jesus was divine. They incorporate both Western and Eastern influences into their religion, creating a multicultural and freethinking church. 

Structuralism: Structuralism stems from language and linguistics and the belief that “language symbols extend far beyond written or oral communication,” (Purdue Owl). Language is composed of signs, which include a signifier and signified. 

A NOTE FROM THE DRAMATURG

As a Dramaturg, I believe it’s important to understand the character of Matthew’s killers. It’s too easy to dismiss McKinney and Henderson as heartless monsters or to claim they have no conscience. In reality, they are human like the rest of us. To understand them and their humanity is vital to understanding the story of Laramie. These were complex, troubled individuals who committed a horrific crime that is beyond comprehensible for most of America. If we were to accept that they were inhuman, it is accepting that these people exist and always will exist. It’s integral that we see their humanness to move forward as a society. We need to understand why this happened, which I believe is the aim of the show. Next, we need to ask ourselves: how do we stop this from happening again? Queer people, especially trans women of color, are still being murdered for who they are and who they love. This story is about change and in order to do so, we need to understand why this happened, how to heal from this tragedy, and how to move forward.