RESPONDING TO WANDERING ANGEL An Email from an Anonymous Angel

Dear Wandering Angel,

Why is one hate crime worthy of your angelic attention but another is not? Why is it always about Matthew Shepard, when since his death countless others in our community have been murdered, and these incidents continue to go unnoticed by HRC and other large gay and lesbian organizations? I read the article about you in BottomLine entitled Wandering Angel where Kimberly Nichols goes on and on telling the story about you being such a hero in Denver and how that led to your becoming one of Matthew Shepard's Angels. At best I thought the article seemed propagated, attempting to capture your silent angelic defeat of Fred Phelps as a promotion for your subsequent Seven Year Ache photo show. As a gay man I find it appalling how these matters so easily transverse into being about money and publicity. I feel that you (like Judy Shepard, HRC and all these other gay organizations) have used Matthew Shepard's death for personal gain and end up being little more than publicity stunts in order to sell photos and raise money, and that awareness is the last thing on the agenda.

Sincerely,
Anonymous Angel