Murder, the Media, and the Politics of Public Feelings: Remembering Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.

by Jennifer Petersen

Book Overview

In 1998, the horrific murders of Matthew Shepard--a gay man living in Laramie, Wyoming--and James Byrd Jr.--an African American man dragged to his death in Jasper, Texas--provoked a passionate public outrage. The intense media coverage of the murders made moments of violence based in racism and homophobia highly visible and which eventually led to the passage of The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009. The role...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0253223393
• ISBN13: 9780253223395
• Release Date: August 2011
• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Length: 222 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.9"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher