Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) Offers Written Apology To Matthew Shepard's Mother

U.S. House Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) has offered an apology to Matthew Shepard's mother Judy, for her insensitive comments made last week regarding his death.

While speaking on the house floor during debates regarding passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Act, Rep. unintentionally mentioned the word "Hoax" to describe public reaction surrounding his true cause of death.

Foxx later stated that her use of the word "Hoax" was a mistake.

She also blamed the media for her ignorance on the issue.

In 1998 on the night of October 7 while visiting a bar, Matthew (21) a student at the University of Wyoming, was viciously attacked by two men who targeted him because of his Sexual Orientation.

After being beaten, tortured and robbed, he was later tied to a fence in freezing Wyoming weather.

He was discovered by a passing motorist who initially thought he was a scarecrow.

Matthew's injuries were so severe he later died at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado on October 12.

Suspects Russell Arthur Henderson and Aaron James McKinney were both found guilty and convicted of Matthew's murder. During their trial while under oath, they admitted he was targeted because of his Sexual Orientation.

According to the Winston-Salem Journal, Foxx's letter to Mrs. Shepard contained these statements, "If I said anything that offended her, I certainly apologize for it and know that she's hurting, and I would never do anything to add to that."

Both Matthew's mother and staff from the Matthew Shepard Foundation confirm to have received Rep. Foxx's letter, however chose not to discuss it any further.

The Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Act passed in the House 249-175.

Whether Rep. Foxx agreed with Matthew's lifestyle or not wasn't the issue, because as an adult his lifestyle was no one's business.

Instead the issue lies in that if Rep. Foxx wanted to use his name and cause of death in her debate, then as a United States Congresswoman she should have been better prepared to discuss such a controversial subject.

Rep. Virginia Foxx's famous last words.




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Sources: MSNBC, Open Congress, Winston-Salem Journal, Huffington Post, Matthew Shepard Foundation, NY Times, Wikipedia, Youtube, Google Maps