Matthew Shepard's parents talk hate crimes in Orlando

Shepards joined Pulse Nightclub owner, law enforcement at event

ORLANDO, Fla. – Pulse Nightclub owner Barbara Poma, who was thrust into the spotlight by tragedy, on Tuesday joined the parents of Matthew Shepard in calling out hate crimes.

The event was held at Parliament House, and it featured members of law enforcement agencies from all around the Orlando area.

Even though investigators never classified what happened at Pulse a hate crime, the Shepards minced no words about what they thought.

"To me, it was a homophobic hate crime," Dennis Shepard said.

He and his wife, Judy, said they were overseas when they first heard about the shooting at Pulse nearly two years ago.

"It reopened a lot of wounds," Judy Shepard said. "We knew what those folks were going through -- their parents (and) their friends."

It reopened wounds because of what happened to their son 20 years ago this year.

Matthew Shepard, 21, a student at the University of Wyoming, was found tied to a fence outside Laramie.

Police said he had been beaten until he was almost unrecognizable and left to die in the cold.

They said he was targeted because he was gay.

"There is no such thing as gay rights," his father told a gathering Tuesday. "What we're talking about here is equal rights."

The Shepards and Poma joined members of law enforcement agencies, as well as representatives from the LGBTQ community of Orlando to talk about fighting hate crimes head-on.

According to the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the FBI, 85 hate crimes have been reported in the Metro Orlando area since 2012, and at least 25 of them targeted members of the LGBTQ community.

Judy Shepard praised Orlando police and the Orange County Sheriff's Office for reporting their hate crime cases to the FBI.

"They really get it," she said. "Not all police departments are that good. They don't have liasions, and they don't care."

Tuesday, June 12, will mark two years since the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

On Wednesday, the onePULSE Foundation will host a fundraiser featuring an evening with the Shepards.

For five things you can do to help improve hate crime reporting, click here.​


About the Author:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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