“I am the mother of Matthew Shepard. He was killed in October of 1998 because he was gay.”

Those are the poignant words spoken by Judy Shepard on an anti-violence campaign commercial that’s been airing for several months. With her eyes welling up with tears but her voice remaining steady, Shepard talks about her son while home videos and pictures of him show on the screen.

Her son’s 1998 murder was committed by two young men who posed as gay, lured Shepard into their truck and then brutally beat him and left him for dead.

Shepard’s death, which came just months after the racially motivated, dragging death of James Byrd in Texas, was another wake-up call to a nation that perhaps was forgetting how ugly its still-brewing prejudices and hatreds are, and how they could inspire people to act out.

But a year after his death, Shepard was regulated to being a martyr, when he was so much more than that. He was a person with hopes and dreams, which will never be fulfilled because of two monsters’ intolerance and ignorance.

But Shepard’s legacy lives on through his mother Judy, who is now one of the most powerful activists in the gay-rights cause.

And for anyone who may think of Shepard’s murder as just another incident from past headlines and news programs, tonight is an opportunity to put a face on this tragedy.

Judy Shepard is speaking tonight at 8 in the Sun Room in the Memorial Union, and her presentation is free and open to the public. She’s the keynote speaker for ISU’s Awareness Days 2000, a weeklong series of events designed for the ISU and Ames gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community as well as its supporters to celebrate who they are.

Judy Shepard is the perfect person to speak for this event. Every person in the ISU and Ames communities, regardless of sexual orientation, should take this opportunity to listen to her message and tribute to her son.

The murder that occurred in Laramie, Wyo., isn’t an isolated incident from the past. Unfortunately, it could happen anywhere, even at Iowa State.

Think about it: Both the University of Wyoming and Iowa State are land-grant universities. Both have a diverse mix of students, people of different colors, sexual orientations and backgrounds. In other words, a perfect place for conflict and ignorance to erupt in a tragedy.

Even if you don’t agree with gay rights, that’s no reason to not attend Shepard’s presentation. If nothing else, it promises to be an opportunity to get an education from someone who learned a lesson about prejudice in the hardest way.

Go see Shepard’s speech. Her message is too important to miss.

Iowa State Daily Editorial Board: Sara Ziegler, Greg Jerrett, Kate Kompas, Carrie Tett and David Roepke.