One of Shepard's biggest surprises has been the overwhelming support she's received from clergy and churches. "The mail they send me is like a hundred to one positive. It's incredible." She was especially surprised to learn that major churches like the Catholics and Episcopals have groups like Dignity and Integrity "to help their gay parishioners."

She's under no illusions about the overall tenor of parts of the Christian community, but she's optimistic about change. "There are people of the same church that feel that it's totally wrong [to reach out to gays]," she said. "But the fact that the churches have these organizations -- I think that's a great step forward. It was surprising how much positive mail said, 'We've never addressed this issue in our church before, but we address it now. We had a service for Matt, and we talk about it in our youth group, and we talk about it in our bible study.' That's great!"

One of the greatest indignities her family suffered since the murder was Rev. Fred Phelps' Baptist church picketing the funeral with signs picturing "Matt in Hell." They returned in April to picket the courthouse in Laramie when Shepard and her husband Dennis came to testify at the sentencing of Russell Henderson.

But that time prominent anti-gay crusader Rev. Louis Sheldon flew in from Washington to denounce Phelps, and local minister Rev. Ivan Byrd tore into Phelps' son in a high-decibel shouting match. When Phelps got set to return to town for the trial of Aaron McKinney, I decided to visit Byrd's tiny Redemption Chapel, and what I saw validated Judy Shepard's optimism about change.

I found a tiny little congregation huddled inside a reinforced trailer, on a dirt road alongside the switching yard of the U-Pac Railroad. Crumbling sidewalk in front, half-eaten deer carcass out back, fervent born-again congregation inside. In between the laying on of hands, and the dancing in the aisles praising the name of Jesus, the organist called out with a prayer request.

"I have a prayer request for the Baptist group from Kansas picketing Matthew Shepard," she declared. "Now I don't believe in homosexuality in any way, shape or form, but it's not up to us to condemn these people to hell."

"Amen!" came the response from the congregation. "Amen!" I saw disapproving head-shaking all around me. "It's horrible what they're doing," an elderly voice said behind me.

Shepard laughed at the back-handed compliment, when I told her about my visit to Redemption Chapel. But we agreed it was more tolerance than we could have hoped for a year ago. Not quite the reaction either of us would like, but at least these people are beginning to see gays as humans. What's the chance Russell Henderson or Aaron McKinney ever heard someone like Rev. Sheldon calling on Christians to treat gays compassionately?

"I do receive vitriolic mail from the Bible Belt," Shepard said matter-of-factly. "But I also got a lot of mail that says 'While I don't agree with the homosexual lifestyle, no one should do what they did to your son.' OK, I'll take that. I agree with you, that's a step forward."

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