National Cathedral and Gay Hate Crime Victim Matthew Shepard's Portrait, Ryan Feld Books

National Cathedral and Gay Hate Crime Victim Matthew Shepard’s Portrait

One thing is for certain, I don’t think Matthew Shepard will ever be forgotten. In fact, as I recall what happened to him started the hate crime movement. Before this, we didn’t refer to certain crimes against gay men as hate crimes.

With that said, the Washington National Cathedral just unveiled a portrait of Shepard and it’s really vey good. For those who don’t know, Matthew Shepard’s death was a pivotal moment in gay history. And for the first time, as I personally recall it, people started paying attention to violence against gay men.

This portrait is now being viewed in the cathedral’s crypt where Shepard’s ashes were interred 20 years after he died. They dedicated the portrait with prayers and a service to honor Matthew’s life. See, gay people pray, too. It’s not just the MAGA crowd.

The artist who did the portrait is Kelly Latimore who is fairly well known in the art world. Latimore painted Shepard in his favorite flannel shirt that was given to him by his parents.

“It was their version of Matt, and that’s what meant the most to the cathedral and to me: depicting Matt in a way that they remember and cherish,” Latimore said.

Here’s more. It’s really a wonderful painting and I wish I could go see it in person. But most of all, Matthew Shepard will not be forgotten.

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