10 Years Ago Today, Matthew Shepard was Beaten and Left to Die

It was ten years ago tonight, on the night of October 6, 1998, that Matthew Shepard was beaten by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson and left to die tied to a fence near Laramie, Wyoming. He died five days later, on October 12. This morning, Judy Shepard appeared on THE EARLY SHOW to discuss the progress that has (and hasn't) been made since Matthew's murder. Wyoming still does not have a hate crime law that covers sexual orientation. Said Shepard: "I'd like to say yes it surprises me, but no it doesn't." "Matthew Shepard's story is one of the stories that changed the '90s as a decade and changed the world," reminds AS THE WORLD TURNS two-time Emmy nominee, Van Hansis. "One thing that Judy Shepard told me when I met with her was that there have been hundreds upon hundreds of other hate crimes since Matthew Shepard and they never get national recognition. Without recognition, there's not going to be change." Before a special benefit performance of "The Laramie Project" in 2006, Hansis told Soap Opera Digest: "I really feel that Luke's storyline has been groundbreaking in daytime television. From the response I’ve gotten, Luke has become a very loved character on the show despite his sexuality, which a lot of people might have problems with. They've gone forward in telling the first part of his 'coming out' story, and that has really opened up a lot of people's eyes. I hope they'll continue to show Luke as a full, rounded person. A very important part of 'The Laramie Project,' and ATWT does this as well, is that it shows a community. In everybody's community, there are gay people. It's a fact. You can't turn your back or try to hide from something just because you don't like it. People need to find a way to embrace each other and find out that, as different as people are, everyone in essence is the same."