National Cathedral installs plaque honoring Matthew Shepard

The National Cathedral has installed a plaque honoring Matthew Shepard, a gay man who was killed in a brutal 1998 hate crime that led to legislation protecting LGBT Americans.

The plaque was unveiled at a ceremony on Tuesday honoring Shepard’s legacy and the continued fight to protect LGBT people across the world.

Shepard’s mother, Judy, and father, Dennis, attended the event.

Judy Shepard said in a statement that people around the world gave generously to make the memorial possible, according to CNN. 

“We’re grateful for each gift that created this beautiful plaque that now marks Matt’s final resting place,” she added. “We hope this will be a place that forever offers solace and strength for all who visit.”

“Elevated by a grassroots, crowd-funded campaign in the weeks following Matthew’s 2018 interment in the Cathedral, the plaque in the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea is intended to honor Matthew’s memory and to serve as a source of strength in the continued journey for LGBTQ+ equality,” the cathedral’s website reads. 

“Finally, Matthew is home and he is safe,” Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, the dean of the cathedral, said in a statement, CNN noted. 

“Matthew’s indelible legacy and the enduring strength and courage of his family and loved ones serve as a guiding force for all of us in how to confront bigotry by fostering greater love, acceptance and embrace of people of all backgrounds, gender identities and sexual orientations.”