UB to Offer 1,500 Free Tickets to Area High Schools for Nov. 9 Lecture by Judy Shepard

BUFFALO, N.Y -- The University at Buffalo will offer 1,500 free tickets to area high schools for a November lecture by gay rights activist and author Judy Shepard, the mother of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, whose 1998 murder provoked the passage of national hate crime legislation.

She will speak at 8 p.m. on Nov. 9 in Alumni Arena on the UB North Campus as part of the 25th annual UB Distinguished Speaker Series. She has made the prevention of hate crimes the focus of her life and urges her audiences to make schools and communities safe for everyone, regardless of race, sex, religion or gender identity and/or expression.

Shepard's talk is sponsored by UB's Office of University Life and Services, and the free tickets are offered as part of the Distinguished Speakers Series Educational Outreach program supported by Hodgson Russ LLP, an affiliate series sponsor.

Any area high school can register by Oct. 21 at http://www.specialevents.buffalo.edu to receive up to 20 complimentary tickets. Requests will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Students are directed to request tickets through their school principal or a school liaison for ticket distribution.

Shepard is the author of The New York Times bestselling book, "The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed," a memoir of her son's life and her career as an activist for gay rights. The book is the 2011 selection of UB Reads, a program designed to promote community among UB students, faculty and staff through a shared reading experience and related activities.

Determined to turn tragedy into a crusade for justice and prevent Matthew's fate from befalling others, Shepard established The Matthew Shepard Foundation to help carry on his legacy and has appeared in human rights campaign advertisements to urge an end to anti-gay violence and promote a greater understanding of gay issues.

She is involved with Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and worked for years to insure the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on Oct. 28, 2009.

Related links:

-- The Matthew Shepard Foundation website: http://www.matthewshepard.org/

-- The latest FBI hate crime statistics (2009): http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/2009hatecrimestats_112210/

-- U.S. Department of Justice hate crime site defines hate crime and offers examples of crimes and resolutions: http://www.justice.gov/crs/pubs/htecrm.htm