[3][4] On October 6, 1998, Judy's older son Matthew was beaten and pistol whipped in Laramie, Wyoming.

Matthew Shepard died six days later at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado on October 12, 1998 at age 21.

The foundation's purpose is to advance "social justice, diversity awareness and education, and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people".

In 2009, she published a memoir, The Meaning of Matthew[6][7] about how her family dealt with his murder, the subsequent court cases, the media coverage, and their work to advance civil rights over the last decade.

We are all equal Americans, gay, straight or whatever"[10] On the Saturday night before, President Obama addressed the Human Rights Campaign in the Capitol and mentioned his promise to Judy Shepard in the Oval Office, in his reassertion of his commitment to pass legislation important to the LGBT community.

[12] Judy and her husband Dennis announced Wyoming's votes in the roll call at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.