Re-posted by Nicholas Stix
Jason Collins to wear No. 98 with Nets as tribute to slain gay college student Matthew Shepard
The 1998 torture and murder of Shepard became a 'watershed moment for the gay community,' according to the victim's mother, Judy, who said she would 'like very much to thank' Collins for keeping her son's legacy alive.
By Stefan Bondy /
Published: Monday, February 24, 2014, 9:01 PM
Updated: Tuesday, February 25, 2014, 8:16 AM
New York Daily News
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Jason Collins will continue his ongoing tribute to Matthew Shepard by wearing the No. 98 with the Nets beginning Wednesday against the Trail Blazers.
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LOS ANGELES — Judy Shepard will be in Denver on Thursday night, about a two-hour drive from where her son, Matt, was brutally murdered in a gay hate crime 16 years ago. [Lie!]
The Nets also will be in Denver on Thursday for their game against the Nuggets, and Judy says she has a warm welcome for Jason Collins if they cross paths.
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“I’m just happy for him. It’s wonderful that he’s playing again. I’d tell him thank you and give him a big hug. I have not met him but everyone I know that has has said he’s a gentleman, kind and generous. I’d like very much to thank him and congratulate him.”
Collins plans to wear No. 98 starting Wednesday against the Trail Blazers, a tribute to Matthew Shepard, who was killed in 1998 because he was gay [lie!]. The brutal nature of Matt’s murder — he was beaten, tortured and left to die hanging on a fence — and the conviction of two men developed into a “watershed moment for the gay community,” as Judy explained, and a “wakeup call” to the rest of America that led to changes in hate crime legislation.
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Collins wanted to wear No. 98 in his debut Sunday in Los Angeles, where he became the first openly gay player in NBA history. But the Nets couldn’t accommodate on short notice, with tip-off just hours away after he signed a 10-day contract. The Nets carry one spare jersey on road trips – in this case, it was No. 46 – and there wasn’t enough time to ship a new one from New Jersey.
So “Collins” was stitched on the back of the spare in L.A.
“No. 98 will be on for the Portland game,” Collins said.
Jason Collins becomes the NBA's first openly gay player after debuting with the Nets against the Lakers.
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images
Jason Collins becomes the NBA's first openly gay player after debuting with the Nets against the Lakers.
Judy, who runs a foundation in Matt’s name and became an advocate for gay rights, is thrilled with Collins’ gesture. [She's living the lie.]
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“It’s really exciting. I’m really excited for him. Super excited for him. To bring Matt’s story into it, to continue to keep Matt’s story out there, it reminds people that this is the kind of thing that happens and is still happening, even if we don’t read about it like we used to. It is still happening. We just have to be conscious of it and we just need to be kind to each other. How hard is that?
“We were very touched,” Judy added when asked for her reaction to learning about Collins’ tribute. “For him to make that tribute to Matt was meaningful to us.”
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Collins wore No. 98 for 38 games last season with the Celtics and Wizards as a silent symbol of gay pride before he revealed his sexuality in April. He had made the switch in the 12th season of his career, joking at the time that he picked 98 to force referees to put up more fingers when they issue a foul.
But he revealed the true meaning in a Sports Illustrated essay.
“A college classmate tried to persuade me to come out (as gay) then and there,” Collins wrote. “But I couldn’t yet. My one small gesture of solidarity was to wear jersey number 98 with the Celtics and then the Wizards.
“One of the most notorious antigay hate crimes occurred in 1998. Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student, was kidnapped, tortured and lashed to a prairie fence. He died five days after he was finally found.”
According to his mother, Matt Shepard was neither a sports fan nor an athlete — “he was uncoordinated,” she said. But Judy understands the significance of Collins’ presence to young gay athletes, and she agreed with his philosophy of ignoring the bigots.
“Online, especially, I would imagine things can get hateful. ’Cause that’s what they do — the underpants crowd, they get online and spout lots of hate. I know that well,” Judy said. “We have to all do our best to take the high ground.
We have faced this head on and just to walk away is the hardest thing to do because you desperately want to respond but it’s the wrong thing to do.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/collins-wear-98-tribute-slain-gay-college-student-article-1.1700573#ixzz2uVkW5WMP
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