Matthew Shepard Memorial Bench

Matthew Shepard was a 21-year-old University of Wyoming student who was beaten near Laramie in October 1998 because he was gay and died of his injuries on October 12. His murder led to national vigils, The Laramie Project, and in 2009 the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the first federal hate-crime law to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. The university dedicated this bench in 2008, outside the Arts & Sciences Building by Prexy's Pasture, the central campus green. It carries a small plaque and is simply a quiet place to sit. The campus is open to the public; visitors often leave flowers, especially around the October anniversary.