Editing Matthew Shepard (section)

==Background==
Matthew Shepard was born in 1976 in [[Casper, Wyoming]]; he was the first of two sons born to [[Judy Shepard|Judy (née Peck)]] and [[Dennis Shepard]]. His younger brother, Logan, was born in 1981. The two brothers had a close relationship.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/news/1999/13/matthew-shepard-199903|title=The Crucifixion of Matthew Shepard|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=January 8, 2014|access-date=May 18, 2016|archive-date=October 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013013248/http://www.vanityfair.com/news/1999/13/matthew-shepard-199903|url-status=live}}</ref>  Matthew was raised in the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]] denomination and had once served as an [[altar boy]] in the church.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fortin |first1=Jacey |title=Matthew Shepard Will Be Interred at the Washington National Cathedral, 20 Years After His Death |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/us/matthew-shepard-ashes-cathedral.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 11, 2018 |access-date=October 14, 2018 |archive-date=October 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011233316/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/us/matthew-shepard-ashes-cathedral.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He attended [[Natrona County School District|Crest Hill Elementary School]], [[Dean Morgan Junior High School]], and [[Natrona County High School]] for his freshman through junior years. As a child, he was "friendly with all his classmates", but was targeted and teased due to his small stature and lack of athleticism.<ref name=":0" /> He developed an interest in politics at an early age.<ref name=":0" />

During his high school years, Matthew moved with his family to Saudi Arabia, when his father was hired by [[Saudi Aramco]], a Saudi oil and natural gas company.  With the family based at the [[Saudi Aramco Residential Camp in Dhahran]], Shepard completed high school in Switzerland, at the [[American School in Switzerland]] (TASIS).<ref>{{cite news|title=Matthew Shepard's Mother Aims to Speak With His Voice|author=Julie Cart|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=September 14, 1999|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-sep-14-mn-9950-story.html|access-date=November 3, 2009|archive-date=July 9, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709120020/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/sep/14/news/mn-9950?pg=2|url-status=live}}</ref> There, he participated in theater, and took [[German language|German]] and [[Italian language|Italian]] courses.  In 1995, during a high school trip to [[Morocco]], Shepard was abducted, beaten and raped.<ref name="abcnews"/><ref name="Bindel"/> This caused him to experience depression and panic attacks, according to his mother.<ref name="abcnews"/> One of Shepard's friends feared that his depression had driven him to become involved with drugs during his time at college.<ref name="abcnews"/> Shepard was hospitalized on a number of occasions due to his clinical depression and suicidal ideation.<ref name=":0" />

After graduating from high school in May 1995, Shepard attended [[Catawba College]] in [[North Carolina]] and [[Casper College]] in [[Wyoming]], before settling in [[Denver]], [[Colorado]]. Shepard became a first-year [[political science]] major at the [[University of Wyoming]] in Laramie with a minor in languages,<ref name=":0" /> and was chosen as the student representative for the Wyoming Environmental Council.<ref name=life/>

Shepard was described by his father as "an optimistic and accepting young man who had a special gift of relating to almost everyone. He was the type of person who was very approachable and always looked to new challenges. Shepard had a great passion for equality and always stood up for the acceptance of people's differences."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.muhlenbergweekly.com/judy-shepard-speaks-out-against-anti-gay-violence-1.2497979|title=Judy Shepard speaks out against anti-gay violence|first1=Jillian|last1=Bevacqua|first2=Torie|last2=Paone|date=July 5, 2011|work=Muhlenberg Weekly|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202231211/http://www.muhlenbergweekly.com/judy-shepard-speaks-out-against-anti-gay-violence-1.2497979|archive-date=December 2, 2013}}</ref> Michele Josue, who had been Shepard's friend and later created a documentary about him, ''Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine,'' described him as "a tenderhearted and kind person."<ref name=Ring>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/film/2015/03/02/getting-know-real-matthew-shepard |title=Getting to Know the Real Matthew Shepard |magazine=The Advocate |date=March 2, 2015 |access-date=March 20, 2017 |first=Trudy |last=Ring |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221064856/http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/film/2015/03/02/getting-know-real-matthew-shepard |archive-date=December 21, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>