For its fall season opener the Trinity Church Wall Street in NYC will present Grammy Award-winner Craig Hella Johnson’s “Considering Matthew Shepard” making its fully staged New York premiere at St. Paul’s Chapel on September 15th, 16th & 17 at 7:30P. On October 6th 1998 Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, beaten & left to die in what became one of America’s most visible anti-LGBTQ hate crimes. Shepard’s murder led to the creation of the Matthew Shepard Foundation & provided a catalyst for legislation that expanded the definition of a hate crime to include sexual orientation & gender identity. The Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed by President Obama in October 2009. Rev. Michael Bird, Vicar of Trinity Church Wall Street stated, “Jesus taught that the heart of the Good News is love, & our parish is guided by its mission to share God’s love for all people. Queerphobic violence, degradation & oppression is at odds with this understanding of God & the clear call to celebrate the essential dignity of every human being. Bringing this powerfully beautiful work to Trinity is a way to name this violence, characterize its impact & take steps toward change & healing. Trinity is committed to our LGBTQ+ community & programming these types of events as a part of our Pride 365 program, which focuses on LGBTQ+ advocacy throughout the year.” Cathy Renna concluded, “I am thrilled to be supporting this production & moderating one of the two discussions. This is an incredibly powerful work that offers a platform to talk about the state of LGBTQ rights today & through Matt's story, explores the humanity of our community.” The event is free but you must register.
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