President Barack Obama signed in 2009 the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law. The act, for which the Shepards lobbied, was the first to grant protections in federal legislation to the LGBTQ community. However, the law did not change laws on a state level — Indiana, South Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas and Matthew Shepard’s home state of Wyoming still do not have any legislation protecting against hate crimes.

The Shepards still struggle to reconcile their son’s highly publicized death with their private grief over losing their child. They lovingly remember him as an ordinary person and recall his love for drama, his quirks and his commitment to inclusivity of all people. The Shepards aim to live their lives in a way they feel would have made Matthew proud.

“We had two sons, one straight and one gay, and we're proud of both of them,” Dennis Shepard said. “Start talking about it. Be proud of your children.”