Laramie Project Research Paper

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 is an amazing, wonderful, beautiful adventure that we are blessed with every day. But, we are greeted many times throughout those days with choices we have to make. Most of those choices we make are built by the structure and beliefs that our parents and loved ones have passed onto us. Looking into how we were brought up can we really say what’s right or wrong? Can we positively determine that everyone thinks the same? While watching “The Laramie Project” you see and hear two-hundred different opinions towards the Matthew Shepard’s case. Two-hundred … that’s two-hundred people from Laramie, friends of the victim and attackers, and loved ones fighting for what they believe is right. This case not only caught the whole town’s attention but was recognized on a national level. Labeled as a hate crime you learn so much more about the people’s identity like Matthew Shepard as a homosexual, the tragedy of a man/son/friend that struck a town, and how people see Laramie, Wyoming as their home built by a community.

Laramie, Wyoming is known as a mostly conservative, republican party majority, which is why there were no hate crime laws that had to deal with sexual orientation or gender identity. Republicans typically were Christians meaning they were against homosexuality and believed it was very wrong. The Laramie officials did not pass any law for about ten years, which showed the Laramie community that their own government did not approve of homosexuals. The government in Laramie is a major influence on a citizen’s political opinion and how they feel on certain topics like homosexuality. If the government does not show approval, how will the citizens of Laramie gain a major acceptance towards homosexuals? Even the governor of Wyoming did not

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?

Laramie consisted of many other religions that presented the views of many of their citizens towards homosexuality. Reverend Fred Phelps, a minister from Kansas, negatively impacted the gay community as he protested against homosexuals. He believed gays were determined to go to hell because of God’s hatred for them. Reverend Phelps like McKinney was a homophobe, which upset many citizens when he ranted about gays going to hell right after the murder of Matthew Shepard. Many citizens including Romaine Patterson decided to take a stance against such hatred to “show the differences. And [to] think at times like this when we’re talking about hatred as much as the nation is right now, that someone needs to show . . . that there is a better way of

In Moises Kaufman's, The Laramie Project the under lying theme of the novel is people are afraid of change. This can be proved from the novel with the character Cathy Connolly and the struggle that homosexuals have to live in there own society. The juxtaposition of anti-gay demonstrations sparked by religion at a homosexual's funeral, and even the physical setting is related to why people are afraid of change. Whether it is start by homophobia, religion, or opression, people are not just afraid of change in general but change for a free society where homosexuals can express and just be themselves.

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.

Laramie, WY, is a modest town which became ignominious overnight in the fall of 1998, when Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was found tied to a fence after being callously beaten and left to die, setting off a nationwide dispute about homophobia and hate crimes. My reaction to this moment in time initially is horror and shock that people did and do these unspeakable acts to their fellow human. However, I can also appreciate the many different views that were portrayed in the film.

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 Yuma Project was important because it dealt with all the uprising conflicts that occurred.Irrigation greatly changed southern Arizona, also known as Yuma. It started out small, but as more people moved there it grew largely. There were a series of different irrigation systems, but the commonly used one was canals. Some of the canals that were built long ago still stand today, and Yuma is the most linked place. Yuma today is the largest agricultural place, but will not be for long if they keep having the problems they do. They also need to have money so they can fix what they need to and be able to pay workers to help.

He stated “He didn’t see size, race, intelligence, sex, religion, or the hundred other things… All he saw was the person” (Shepard). He spoke these words to show that Matthew did not deserve this, and also to prove that his death was a hate crime due to his beliefs and outgoing characteristics. However, he states “good is coming out of evil. People have said ‘Enough is enough.’ You made the world realize that a person’s lifestyle is not a reason for discrimination, intolerance, persecution, and violence” (Shepard). All he wants is to see his son dream come true, that everyone is equal no matter of race, sex, religion, etc. Not only does he want to fight for equality, but also against hate and discrimination against others; while also showing how one's death can affect a family in such a devastating manner. He presents these subjects in rhetorical questions, for example, he says “[How is it an] Impact on my life?” (Shepard) many times to show how messed up his family has become due to this horrific

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

We traveled 14 miles to Chimney Rock and it was amazing. This rock is the most famous of all landmarks of the westward migration. Some say it looks like a tall factory chimney. This is what is most written about in pioneers journals. Many put “the most remarkable object that I ever saw” in their journals. It looked like a tall factory chimney or a chimney from a burnt house. Charles described it as a Limbless trunk of a gigantic. Indians called it the “Tepee” or the “Wigwam”. After we pass the Rock, we travel for another 75 miles to reach Fort Laramie. Fort Laramie stood alone the main trail to Oregon and California. Fort Laramie is a emigrant resting place to trappers, traders, missionaries, and many more. The building was built by the Laramie

After reading “The Laramie Project” your left with so many questions, ideas and emotions. The play is a series of interviews (reenacted exactly as they happened) to give the audience facts and true statements so that they can form there own opinion. The play takes place in Laramie Wyoming, after the “hate crime” that left 21 year old Matthew Shepard fighting for his life that ended soon after all because the fact that he was gay. Hate is a feeling and hate crime is acting on that hatred, but what exactly is a “hate crime”? What makes it so different from any other crime? Isn't all crime hate crime?

The organization set up in David Roman’s article is more bases on the interpretation of information in which is discovered, rather than simply regurgitation. His main point and arguments are very clear. Even within each paragraph. Due to this structure, keeping up with the Roman’s train of thought is a far more obtainable goal. He does use quotations to create credibility within his work and summaries his main idea at the end of each major section of analysis. Also, Roman summaries some of the plotline of ‘The Laramie Project’ to aid those whom are reading and have not seen or read the production (or simply to refresh others). This adds a back bone to his argument and allows for one to see that his idea is coming from a legitimate source.