The Laramie Project

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The Laramie Project
Moses Kaufman wrote the play “The Laramie Project,” basing his central theme on LGBT in the American culture at a time when the practice was relatively new. The focus character is Matthew Shepard, a gay university student. Matt, as he is often called, was also HIV infected. His sexual orientation made Matt’s friends, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, to murder him. He does not appear in the play, but the readers learn his personality through the narrations from other characters. Matt was calm, focused, humane, and determined according to various characters. According to Romaine, Trish Steger, the shopkeeper’s sister, Matt was a charming and lively gentleman who loved politics and was interested in fighting for human rights (p. 31). He dreamt of changing the world one day by advocating for the rights of LGBT in American society. The statement from the bartender and the bar owner also showed that Matt was a normal man who could not harm anybody. Matt Galloway, the bartender, says, “If you had a hundred customers like him, it’d be the – the most perfect bar I have been in. Okay? Nothing to do with sexual orientation. Um, absolute mannerism. Manners. Politeness, intelligence” (p. 39). However, Matt might not have been that good. When it was revealed that he was HIV positive, numerous people who had had contact with him had to take an HIV test. This shows that he was not a faithful man. 
Protests and confrontations characterized Matthew’s funeral. Other priests were against the Catholic Church’s stand to lead the funeral for a gay person, against “the will of God.” A notable confrontation comes between Rev. Fred Phelps and Romaine Patterson. Phel...