Analysis Of The Movie ' Laramie '

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, society wasn’t the most accepting of places for people who were different from the “social norms”. Now I know, people today still struggle with trying to fit in and be “normal” but it was different. Being a gay man living in San Fransisco at the time, which had a large gay population, Richard Rodriguez had a hard time dealing with the discrimination he faced. Richard Rodriguez was an American journalist who wrote and published a memoir about his life as a gay man. In October of 1990, Rodriguez published his memoir “Late Victorians” in Harper’s Magazine, a critically acclaimed publication of the time. In his memoir, Rodriguez describes what it was like to realize he was gay and watch as the country changed to become a more accepting place. He does this by setting up how things can change and then explaining the actual ways things change for the gay population.

Life for most homosexuals during the first half of the Twentieth century was one of hiding, being ever so careful to not give away their true feelings and predilections. Although the 1920s saw a brief moment of openness in American society, that was quickly destroyed with the progress of the Cold War, and by default, that of McCarthyism. The homosexuals of the 50s “felt the heavy weight of medical prejudice, police harassment and church condemnation … [and] were not able to challenge these authorities.” They were constantly battered, both physically and emotionally, by the society that surrounded them. The very mention or rumor of one’s homosexuality could lead to the loss of their family, their livelihood and, in some cases, their

Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre Company travelled to Laramie, Wyoming to ‘Conduct over 400 interviews with about 100 Laramie residents’ (Chalkdust Theatre Inc. Riverside Theatre Parramatta, 2010) following the tragic murder of Mathew Shephard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming in 1998, to then create the verbatim, docudrama play, The Laramie Project. The production follows the real residents of Laramie following this tragic event by portraying a large range of views and opinions on the topic of homosexuality and the incident from that of priest’s, the parents and friends of Mathew Shephard as well as Laramie residents who identify as gay or lesbian and many more. The director juxtaposes these contrasting opinions throughout the play to portray the conflicting emotions within Laramie about the event, all the while we follow Mathews last hours and the court proceedings to determine the consequences for the perpetrators as the town begins the healing process.

Moses Kaufman is the producer of the successful play “The Laramie Project” after a horrific incident that occurred in Laramie. Members of the artistic group of Kaufman 's, traveled to Laramie to find out more about the horrific incidence. The main aim of the whole project was to find the emotions, reactions, and reflections that the people of Laramie manifested concerning the beating and subsequent death of a twenty-three-year-old college student (Gale, 2016). A lot of questions were raised concerning the death as people had different point of views. Some thought it was a hate crime, others thought it was just a brutal assault or a form of robbery. Four hundred interviews were conducted so as to come up with the reasons behind the brutal murder straight from the town folks. The main issue was how homosexuality was defined in the crime. The Laramie Project, questioned the rights of the LGBT+ group. For example, why were Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgenders discriminated by the community and the society as a whole even though their rights were constitutional?

The Laramie Project is a play written by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project by interviewing the residents of Laramie Wyoming about the murder of a gay student, Matthew Shepard. The play raises controversy revolving around homosexuality, hate crimes and acceptance. In addition to the various themes suggested by the play, the author wanted to present the varying perspectives toward homosexuality in the Laramie Community at the time of Shepard death. The three main perspectives towards homosexuality were hatred, tolerance and acceptance. The author also wanted to explore how these perspectives may have changed as the result of Shepard’s death.

The Laramie Project, written by Moisés Kaufman, is a compilation of interviews by The Tectonic Theater Project, news publications, and journal entries. After the brutal murder of Mathew Sheppard in 1998. Kaufman along with his theater troupe made six visits to Laramie, Wyoming, where the murder took place, to interview people about what happened and how they felt about the crime in their community. They interviewed about two hundred people, of which about sixty were included in the play. The play showcases a small town in America in a historical time of tragedy. The production of The Laramie Project was simple. The stage setting was minimal and the the actors consisted of eight people portraying more than sixty. Through the patchwork of

In “The Laramie Project,” written by members of the Tectonic theatre company, aims to examine the Matthew Shepard murder through the use of theatre. Within the play, there are several insights and moments that prove to be surprising, puzzling, useful, new, and interesting.

The Laramie Project is a play written by Moises Kaufman and the members of Tectonic Theater Project. The play is based on the interviews of the citizens of Laramie about what’s happening in Laramie and their responses to the murder of Matthew. In addition to the various themes suggested by the play, the author wanted to present the varying perspectives toward homosexuality in the Laramie community at the time of Matthew’s death. The author also wanted to explore how these perspectives may have changed as the result of Matthew’s death. Even though the citizens of Laramie persisted that hate is not a value they practice, they still showed contrasting and puzzled views

The room fell silent as the story of Mathew Shepard was told in the OU Meacham Auditorium. Throughout The Laramie Project I could hear the gasps and tears of my fellow students. This was not the first time I watched The Laramie Project, but the film still had a profound effect on me. The interviews with Laramie citizens seemed to describe different perceptions of hate crimes committed against the LGBT across the globe; not just in Laramie, Wyoming.

It is performed as a play and is written as a book, something unique that is able to expand its impact on society. In the literature itself, The Laramie Project effectively raises awareness of how minorities are really treated in many instances. It sheds light on important topics such as hate crimes and being gay in modern society. Many people who were interviewed for the project were gay, and talked a lot about how many are mistreated because of their sexuality in Laramie, as well as other areas. Hate crimes was a topic that was really impacting as the interviews continued.

The authors of this piece examine The Laramie Project as audience members of the multiple incarnations of the story and question whether the play, because it is based on a real event, is more powerful. As they argue, the play itself did not instigate action throughout the entire nation, but helped the audience come to terms with the fact that the people in the town also felt grief that they could not completely make sense of. There are no specific answers, but only attempts to sort out emotions

This sad event shows but one example of a hate crime against a person of gay orientation. Matthew Shepard then goes on to become one reason to cause the HCPA, Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to be signed into law on October 28, 2009. These groups say that “the struggles of the peoples of the world are our fight as well; their victories are our victories and our victories are theirs. Our freedom will come only with their freedom” (“What We Want, What We Believe” 600). They are trying to abolish hate against all which is why they did not stop at creating a hate crimes prevention act against gays law, but a prevention to protect everyone. It is to prevent anyone having to suffer what the people of the LGBT community constantly face every day. To take these things lightly is one thing; however, to completely act as though they do not exist in plain sight is unlawful or even disgraceful.As a nation, everyone should band together, every race, every group, and every individual, to fight against this true act of treason.

Barack Obama who served our country for eight years once said, "When all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free." While America is known for freedom, not everyone has been treated with respect and dignity. Throughout American history, individuals have been subjected to hatred and have not been allowed to live in freedom without being persecuted: just for who they are. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer communities know this feeling all too well. They have had to live in fear, not knowing what would happen to them. The experience of homosexuals in the United States has been documented and written about for centuries. Annie Proulx who wrote, “Brokeback Mountain,” exemplfies

“If you can do nothing else, do whatever is in your power to make the people in your life feel completely unashamed of who they are” (Killermann). As times change and our society continues to evolve, the importance of human rights and acceptance are constantly emphasized. Through the movie, “Slumdog Millionaire” directed by Danny Boyle I learned about discrimination relating to social class. Additionally, in the song, “Small Town Boy” by Bronski Beat, I learned about how gay individuals may be judged by society. Through further analyzing and exploring these texts, I could seek real-life examples of how human rights can be violated. These texts prove that we must move away from the deep-rooted issue of discrimination and learn to accept, love, and celebrate our differences not only as individuals but as a society.

There is a systematic denial of rights in the United States currently that reflects the time period surrounding Matthew Shepard’s death. In order to successfully combat the denial of rights and the oppression the group faces that leads to murders like Shepard’s, it is important to take a look at what exactly is the cause of this inherent hatred of difference and start from there. One of the best approaches I can think of is to look at the issue from the standpoint of a justice-oriented citizen. As a justice-oriented citizen, the response to this issue would be to look at the stigma surrounding the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ discrimination can be considered a political issue, what with recent happenings like the