But Matthew definitely had a political side to him.… I mean, he really wanted to get into political affairs … that’s all his big interest was, was watching CNN and MSNBC, I mean, that’s the only TV station I ever saw his TV tuned in to. He was just really smart in political affairs, but not too smart on like commonsense things …

So, he moves to Laramie to go to school.

JON PEACOCK: Matthew was very shy when he first came in.

NARRATOR: Jon Peacock, Matthew Shepard’s academic adviser:

JON PEACOCK: To the point of being somewhat mousy I’d almost say. He was having some difficulties adjusting, but this was home for him and he made that quite clear. And so his mousiness, his shyness gave way to a person who was excited about this track that he was going to embark on. He was just figuring out wanting to work on human rights, how he was going to do that. And when that happens this person begins to bloom a little bit. He was starting to say, “Wow, there are opportunities here. There are things I can do in this world. I can be important.”

ROMAINE PATTERSON: I did hear from Matthew about forty-eight hours before his attack. And he told me that he had joined the gay and lesbian group on campus, and he said he was enjoying it, you know, he was getting ready for Pride Week and whatnot. I mean, he was totally stoked about school—yeah, he was really happy about being there.

JON PEACOCK: And in retrospect—and I can only say this in retrospect of course—I think that’s where he was heading, towards human rights. Which only adds to the irony and tragedy of this.

MOMENT: WHO’S GETTING WHAT?

DOC O’CONNOR: Let me tell you something else here. There’s more gay people in Wyoming than meets the eye. I know, I know for a fact. They’re not particularly, ah, the whattayou call them, the queens, the gay people, queens, you know, runaround faggot-type people. No, they’re the ones that throw bails of hay, jump on horses, brand ’em, and kick ass, you see what I’m saying? As I always say, Don’t fuck with a Wyoming queer, ’cause they will kick you in your fucking ass, but that’s not the point of what I’m trying to say. ’Cause I know a lot of gay people in Wyoming, I know a lot of people period. I’ve been lived up here some forty-odd years, you see what I’m saying?

And I don’t think Wyoming people give a damn one way or another if you’re gay or straight, that’s just what I just said, doesn’t matter. If there’s eight men and one woman in a Wyoming bar, which is often the case, now you stop and think—who’s getting what? You see what I’m saying? Now jeez, it don’t take a big intelligent mind to figure that one out.