Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 21:50:25 -0500 (EST) From: IHAVE Foundation Subject: STATEMENT FROM THE MOTHERS OF SHEPARD AND SCHINDLER ON THE MURDER OF BILLY JACK GAITHER MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, March 5, 1999 Media Contact: Lee Thompson, President IHAVE Foundation (877) 994-4283 (Gold Bar, Washington) info@ihave.org STATEMENT FROM THE MOTHERS OF MATTHEW SHEPARD AND ALLEN SCHINDLER ON THE MURDER OF ALABAMAN BILLY JACK GAITHER MOTHERS REQUEST THAT GAITHER FAMILY'S NEED FOR PRIVACY BE HONORED In response to the brutal murder of Billy Jack Gaither in Alabama, the mothers of two gay men who were also victims of vicious hate-motivated murders asked today that the Gaither family's request for privacy be respected in this time of tragedy. In a conversation earlier today, Mrs. Lois Gaither, mother of the victim, told Lee Thompson of the International Hate And Violence Education Foundation (IHAVE) Foundation that the family has been overwhelmed by phone calls from the media and from sympathetic community members. Matthew Shepard's mother Judy issued the following statement: "The Shepard family wishes to extend their most heartfelt sympathy to the family of Billy Jack Gaither. The Shepard family requests that the Gaither family's request for the right to privacy be respected." Dorothy Hadjys-Holman, mother of Allen Schindler, agreed with Mrs. Shepard, saying: "The grief that the Gaithers are surely experiencing is one that I hope most people will never know. I wish I could say that I didn't. The Gaither family is in my prayers and I hope that people will respect their need for privacy in this tragic time." 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was beaten nearly to death near his college in Laramie, Wyoming, in October, 1998. He was left for dead, hanging on a wooden rail fence for 18 hours, and died in Ft. Collins, Colo., four days later. In 1992, Allen Schindler was brutally beaten by a number of his fellow Navy shipmates because he was gay. Every organ in his body was destroyed. The IHAVE Foundation uses unique techniques to bring awareness and raise funds for organizations that combat hate and violence through education. Condolences may be sent to the Gaithers in the care of the IHAVE Foundation's website, located at http://www.ihave.org . ###