A pot of flowers adorned with a cross hangs from the picket fence where University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was tied, beaten and left for dead in October 1998. Gary Caskey/Reuters

Out of Matthew Shepard’s tragic murder, a commitment to punishing hate crimes emerged

Twenty years ago, Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered for being gay. A lawyer who helped implement hate crime legislation in Shepard’s name reflects on its strengths and limitations.

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