[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 44 (Monday, November 8, 1999)]
[Pages 2241-2242]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Verdict in the Matthew Shepard Murder Trial

November 3, 1999

    Today's verdict closes a chapter in the tragic story of the killing 
of Matthew Shepard. Although the verdict cannot bring Matthew back, 
perhaps it will bring some sense of closure to Dennis and Judy Shepard, 
as well as other family and friends of Matthew. The First Lady and I 
offer our prayers for them and our hope that their memories of Matthew's 
life will sustain them in the difficult time ahead.
    The verdict is a dramatic statement that we are determined to have a 
tolerant, law-abiding nation that celebrates our differences rather than 
despising them. Our Nation must unite in outrage against hate-based 
violence. We cannot surrender to those on the fringe of our society who 
lash out at those who are different. Their crimes impose a particular

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cost on society by tearing at the social fabric. It is my continued hope 
that together, as a nation, we will work to repair that fabric.