Pick-A-Day

December 2024
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Archives

24: Matthew Shepard

Wow.

Today marks 24 years since Matthew Shepard died.

It remains difficult to write my thoughts about him every year, some of this is because I feel like I am being a bit repetitious, some of it is because I never quite know how to address my feelings about him every year.

It’s not easy […]

Making it Better in Wyoming, continues

About 11 years ago, I promised to donate money to the University of Wyoming Rainbow Resource Center every year.

I’ve kept my promise – some how donating enough to become worthy of individual attention from the UW Foundation. I don’t personally think that I’ve donated enough to qualify for this kind of attention, but be […]

23: Matthew Shepard

Matthew Shepard died 23 years ago today.

Another year has ticked by.

Another moment to pause and reflect on Matthew Shepard.

One remarkable thing about Matthew Shepard is that he continues to be present in society – I was scrolling through Facebook last week and I noticed that Indiana University Credit Union (my primary […]

Whatchamacallit 175: Buffalo Wool Hat

I bought this hat from a shop in Laramie, Wyoming. I have no idea how long ago, how much, or which shop.

The shop did have a small selection of goods made from buffalo wool, including coasters, which I keep in my living room. The hat was also there. Given the difficulties of obtaining […]

Whatchamacallit 163: Still Naked in Laramie

What a find this was: I started digging through my cupboard.

Either it is overstuffed or the flatpack cupboard is starting to see the end of its lifespan, some 17 years after it was initially assembled. I’ve had to reattach one of the doors about 3 times (an easy enough fix, but still….).

Maybe […]

Whatchamacallit 93: Safe Zone Magnet from the University of Wyoming

Back during the 1997-98 academic year at the University of Wyoming, I did something brave and, for Wyoming, cutting edge: I took Safe Zone training.

I tried to do it on the sly, but outside the conference room I remember that I ran into a friend and somehow had to explain what I was […]

20: Matthew “Matt” Wayne Shepard – *December 1, 1976; †October 12, 1998

The Editors of the Casper Star-Tribune, Wyoming’s most important newspaper, sought letters, asking, “What does Matthew Shepard’s story mean to you?” I felt that I had to write a letter; I have no idea if it will be published. In case it is not published, I put it here, in full, on this, the 20th […]

19 years, but who’s counting?

Last weekend I was in Chicago, where I caught up with one of my early gay IU friends. We talked about a number of things – including the coming out process and what it was like to come out (whether to ourselves or to others) at Indiana University in the late 1990s.

But the thing […]

18 Years: Matthew Shepard

For 18 years, October’s cooler weather and shorter days is a reminder that the anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s murder is fast approaching.

It’s somewhat daunting to pause and reflect – how much I’ve changed. How much America and the world has changed. And how much has not changed at all.

I want what I write […]

17: Matthew “Matt” Wayne Shepard – * December 1, 1976; †October 12, 1998

Matthew Shepard is a man who is often on my thoughts, with increasing frequency as early October rolls around.

It was October 6, 1998, when Aaron Kreifels had an accident with his bicycle, looked up, wondered about a scarecrow – only to realize that the scarecrow was a human being, Matthew Shepard.

Tuesday, Matthew Shepard […]