LIFE

Matthew Shepard memorial vigil to be held Sunday

Erin Udell
erinudell@coloradoan.com

On the 17th anniversary of his death, a local group will be remembering Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old gay University of Wyoming student whose brutal 1998 murder sent shockwaves through the community and nation.

Northern Colorado Equality will host a candlelight memorial vigil for Shepard at Poudre Valley Hospital, where he died.

“His death devastated the LGBTQ community in Northern Colorado and around the world, and brought wider attention to the hostility that still confronts LGBTQ+ citizens, especially in rural communities,” a news release for the event said.

The vigil will start at 7 p.m. just south of the hospital’s emergency entrance on Lemay Avenue. Interested allies are asked to bring their own candles if possible.