The Laramie Project

While Matthew Shepard is central to The Laramie Project, we learn very little about him. He was small, slim gay man, a university student who aspired to work in the area of human rights. He was generous with money and would talk to anyone. He always drank Heineken. This lack of information reflects Matthew’s absence and the fact that, what is really at stake in the aftermath of his attack is the meaning of his death, rather than his life.

Matt Galloway is the bartender at The Fireside, the bar where Matthew was last seen alive. Matt shows great compassion for Matthew; he regrets not noticing that something was wrong and wishes he had had the chance to intervene. Matt is one of those Laramie residents against the death penalty, believing that two wrongs don’t make a right. 

Reggie Fluty is the policewoman who responded to Aaron Kreifels’ 911 call. She was overwhelmed by the amount of blood at the scene and the severity of Matthew’s injuries. For Reggie, the consequences of the attack on Matthew are perhaps more immediate than for anyone else. As a result of poor quality gloves and open cuts on her hands, she is exposed to HIV and must begin an immediate course of aggressive medication to prevent contracting the virus. Significantly, despite being worried about her future and that of her family, Reggie never blames Matthew for exposing her to the disease. After getting a clean bill of health, her main hope for the future is that Laramie will stop being “stuck” in the aftermath of Matthew’s death.

Rebecca is the head of the Theatre Department at the University of Wyoming, located in Laramie, and an important contact for the theatre company. She is shocked by what happened to Matthew and sees herself as obligated to reach out and educate her students in the face of deep-rooted homophobia. One way she attempts to do this is by staging Angels in America, in order to encourage her students to engage with LGBT issues.

One of Rebecca’s theatre students, Jedadiah won a scholarship to the University on the basis of a scene he performed from Angels in America; however, he comes from a religious background and has a somewhat ambivalent attitude towards homosexuality at the beginning of the play. Over the course of the three acts, Jedadiah reviews his attitude towards gay people and comes to feel ashamed that he ever thought they were different from himself. Jedadiah thus provides an example of how meeting gay people and considering the obstacles they face in a homophobic society can help people overcome cultural and religious prejudices.

The lead investigator on the case, DeBree finds it particularly difficult to visit Matthew, as he is used to dealing with dead bodies, rather than people fighting for their lives. However, as his interview with Aaron McKinney in Act III makes clear, there is no doubt that Matthew will die from his injuries. DeBree is another character whose latent homophobia is transformed by his connection with this case into a determination to fight discrimination against gay people, even at the risk of alienating his friends.

A close friend of Matthew’s, Romaine is one of those who adamantly refuted the idea that the attack on Matthew was motivated by money alone. She provides us with insight into the person Matthew was when he was alive and credits him with showing her a new path after his death. She organizes a counter-protest to shut out the hateful rhetoric of Reverend Fred Phelps with enormous angel wings and decides to study political science in order to pursue this kind of action in new ways.

A limousine driver and local character, Doc presents himself as something of an expert on Laramie. He had driven Matthew before and insists that he was not the only gay person in town. He is a useful source of information to the theatre company and also offers insight into how well-meaning people might carry prejudices they are not aware of.

Marge is Reggie Fluty’s mother and, like Doc, is something of a local expert on Laramie. Marge never blames Matthew for exposing her daughter to HIV; instead, she blames McKinnon and Russell for hurting so many people. Marge is the first person to describe Laramie’s attitude to homosexuality as “live and let live,” an idea that recurs and is challenged throughout the play.

Like Fred Phelps, the unnamed Baptist Minister is a religious authority who demonstrates an astounding lack of compassion. He accepts that what McKinney and Henderson did was wrong because they committed murder, but he has no sympathy for Matthew. Instead he hopes that Matthew had time to reflect on his sinful “lifestyle” before he died.

Of all the religious leaders in Laramie, it is perhaps Father Schmit who shows the most compassion towards Matthew—he hosts a vigil for him—and has the least ambivalent outlook on homosexuality. He makes the point that homophobic violence is not always as extreme as the attack on Matthew but also takes the form of derogatory language. The theatre company members interviewing him are both “queer” and are grateful for his acknowledgement that the violence they face is not always physical. He worries about the possibility that the play they are working on will incite further violence and urges them not to let that happen. He tells them that they have a responsibility to “say it correct” (65).