When we were discussing Matthew Shepard in class the other day, something in particular really jumped out at me. In the part of the lecture presentation that said "Naming the Event," I immediately thought of the CBS show Criminal Minds. This struck me because in the show, the Behavioral Analysis Unit stresses the importance of not naming events or serial killers in their case. I know this is somewhat unrelated to the Matthew Shepard case, but the connection is still relevant I believe.
Because both scenarios involve some sort of tragedy, the media will want to swarm and do whatever they can to get coverage. In the Criminal Minds scenario (several episodes come to mind, but I'll use an example from the top of my head: "The I-90 Killer"). I do not remember the particular events of this episode, but I do recall that the unidentified subject (unsub) would dump bodies of victims off the side of Interstate 90. The team was unhappy when they found out the local media started calling the guy the "I-90 Killer" because it amplified the killer and boosted his ego, which doesn't help him stop killing. In a similar way, Matthew Shepard was the focus of his tragedy. The fact that he was gay is what the media highlighted and amplified.
In my eyes, the focus of the tragedy should be the evil of the act, the acceptance that there was inherent wrong, and gay or straight shouldn't matter. If Matthew Shepard had been straight, the actual evil of the event doesn't change. It's still wrong no matter what. Same thing goes with naming serial killers. It doesn't help, it only adds hurt.
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