The Laramie Project

Captions made possible by HOME BOX OFFICE

A Division of TIME WARNER ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY, L.P.

NOW, I FIRST THOUGHT THE TWO KIDS WHO DID THIS

CAME FROM SOMEPLACE ELSE.

WHEN I LEARNED THAT THEY HAD GROWN UP IN LARAMIE,

I WAS JUST FLOORED !

In Laramie, Wyoming, a young man is in a deep coma,

near death, from a savage beating.

WHEN I FIRST FOUND OUT, I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS HORRIBLE.

NOBODY DESERVES THAT.

I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE.

A college freshman was beaten, tied to a fence,

and left for dead in Wyoming this week.

CERTAINLY YOU'D LIKE TO THINK THIS WAS SOMEBODY

FROM OUT OF TOWN.

SOMEBODY WHO COMES THROUGH AND BEATS SOMEBODY UP.

BUT IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMEBODY

WHO'S BEEN BEATEN REPEATEDLY

BY SOMEBODY FROM OUR TOWN...

WELL, THAT CERTAINLY OFFENDS US.

IF YOU ASKED ME BEFORE, I WOULD'VE TOLD YOU

LARAMIE'S A BEAUTIFUL TOWN.

IT'S SECLUDED.

YOU KNOW, SECLUDED ENOUGH

SO YOU CAN HAVE YOUR OWN IDENTITY.

YOU KNOW, NOW...

AFTER MATTHEW...

WE'RE A TOWN DEFINED BY AN ACCIDENT

OR A CRIME, YOU KNOW ?

WE'VE BECOME WACO OR JASPER.

WE'RE A NOUN OR A DEFINITION OR A SIGN.

DO YOU MIND IF I TAPE THIS ?

NO, I DON'T MIND.

GREAT, THANK YOU.

AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR TAKING TIME OUT OF YOUR REHEARSAL

TO TALK TO ME.

I MUST TELL YOU WHEN I FIRST HEARD

YOU WERE THINKING OF COMING HERE,

WHEN YOU FIRST CALLED ME,

I WANTED TO SAY...

YOU JUST KICKED ME IN THE STOMACH,

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME ?

AND THEN I THOUGHT, WELL, THAT'S STUPID

YOU'RE NOT DOING THIS TO ME.

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY,

MY STUDENTS NEED TO TALK.

WHEN THIS FIRST HAPPENED,

THEY STARTED TO TALK ABOUT IT AND THEN THE MEDIA DESCENDED

AND ALL DIALOGUE STOPPED.

WE'RE NOT REPORTERS.

I KNOW, I READ YOUR LAST PLAY.

YOU DID ?

MM-HMM.

GAVE ME AN IDEA OF WHAT YOU DO.

MOISES CALLED SAYING HE HAD AN IDEA

FOR HIS NEXT THEATER PROJECT,

BUT THERE WAS A SOMBERNESS TO HIS VOICE.

SO, I ASKED HIM WHAT IT WAS L ABOUT.

AND HE SAID HE MAY WANT TO DO A PIECE

ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WYOMING.

LEE CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THE COMPANY WAS THINKING

OF GOING DOWN TO LARAMIE AND CONDUCTING SOME INTERVIEWS

AND DID I WANT TO COME ?

I DID, I SAID, YEAH.

BUT I...

I WAS HESITANT, BECAUSE AS A GAY MAN,

I MEAN...

A KID HAD JUST BEEN KILLED THERE BECAUSE HE WAS GAY.

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU WANT ?

WELL, I'D LIKE YOU TO GIVE ME NAMES OF PEOPLE

WHO MIGHT WANT TO TALK TO US.

I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOUR STUDENTS AND YOUR FRIENDS.

I WANT TO HEAR FROM THE PEOPLE OF THE TOWN.

I HAVE NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE.

HOW DO YOU GET PEOPLE TO TALK TO YOU ?

WHAT DO YOU ASK ?

IT'S STILL VERY RAW FOR US HERE.

I UNDERSTAND,

BUT THIS IS NO LONGER ABOUT LARAMIE OR WYOMING.

THIS IS ABOUT THE WHOLE COUNTRY.

TO ME,

IT'S STILL ABOUT LARAMIE.

THE COMPANY HAS AGREED TO COME TO LARAMIE

AND INTERVIEW THE PEOPLE OF THE TOWN.

AND I'M SCARED 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA DO

ABOUT TRYING TO ENSURE THEIR SAFETY.

I MADE A PRELIMINARY CONTACT WITH REBECCA HILLIKER

WHO'S THE HEAD OF THE THEATER DEPARTMENT

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING.

AND HOPEFULLY THAT WILL LEAD TO MORE INTERVIEWS.

YOU'RE LATE.

I KNOW, WE TALKED FOR A LOT LONGER THAN I PLANNED.

WHAT DID REBECCA SAY ?

SHE GAVE ME NAMES OF A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WHO MIGHT TALK TO US.

TOWNSPEOPLE AND RANCHERS, SOME STUDENTS.

SO, WE SHOULD TRY AND CONTACT THESE PEOPLE FIRST.

LET'S SEE IF ANYBODY'S GONNA TALK.

GREAT.

YOU OKAY ?

WHAT ?

PLEASE DON'T DO THAT HERE.

WHERE'RE YOU FOLKS FROM ?

NEW YORK.

AND WHAT BRINGS YOU TO TOWN ?

WE'RE JUST PASSING THROUGH.

HI.

IS LINDA HOME ?

NO, SHE'S WORKING.

OKAY, WELL, CAN YOU TELL HER THAT AMANDA STOPPED BY

AND I'LL BE AT THE RANGER MOTEL ?

AND WHO ARE YOU ?

I'M WITH THE THEATER COMPANY,

REBECCA HILLIKER TOLD HER ABOUT ME.

I NEVER HEARD OF HER, WHAT DO YOU WANT ?

WELL, I'M WITH THE THEATER COMPANY

AND WE'RE WRITING A PLAY ABOUT LARAMIE

AND THE MATTHEW SHEPARD INCIDENT.

WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT ?

WE THINK IT'S A STORY--

YOU'RE STICKING YOUR NOSE INTO SOMETHING

WE DON'T NEED TO TALK ABOUT ANYMORE.

THAT'S OVER AND DONE.

I UNDERSTAND YOUR FEELING--

WE DON'T WANT ANYMORE OF THIS.

YOU'RE NOT WANTED HERE.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING WITH THIS STORY ?

WELL, WHEN THE PLAY IS FINISHED,

WE'RE GOING TO BRING IT AROUND TO LARAMIE.

AND YOU'RE GONNA USE OUR WORDS ?

THAT'S THE IDEA.

WELL, I'VE BEEN CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE CASE

TO KNOW MANY OF THE PEOPLE.

I HAVE A DAUGHTER, WORKS IN THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.

AS FOR THE GAY ISSUE,

I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER

AS LONG AS THEY DON'T BOTHER ME.

AND EVEN IF THEY DID, I'D JUST SAY, "NO, THANK YOU".

AND THAT'S THE ATTITUDE OF MOST OF THE LARAMIE POPULATION.

THEY MIGHT POKE ONE IN A BAR SITUATION, YOU KNOW ?

THEY'VE BEEN DRINKING,

THEY MIGHT ACTUALLY SMACK ONE IN THE MOUTH,

BUT THEN THEY JUST WALK AWAY.

LARAMIE IS LIVE AND LET LIVE.

MY DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

I'M HERE TODAY TO BRING YOU THE WORD OF THE LORD.

IN MY MINISTRY, I FOUND A SIMPLE TRUTH

THAT I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY,

AND IT'S THIS.

THE WORD

IS EITHER SUFFICIENT

OR IT IS NOT.

NOW, SCIENTISTS TELL ME THAT HUMAN HISTORY,

THAT THE WORLD IS FIVE BILLION

OR SIX BILLION YEARS OLD.

AFTER ALL, WHAT'S A BILLION YEARS GIVE OR TAKE ?

BUT THE BIBLE TELLS ME

THAT HUMAN HISTORY IS 6,000 YEARS OLD.

THE WORD

IS EITHER SUFFICIENT OR IT IS NOT.

IN LARAMIE,

POPULATION 26,687,

THE FIRST THING TO GREET US WAS WALMART.

THIS COULD BE ANY MAIN DRAG IN AMERICA.

FAST FOOD CHAINS, GAS STATIONS.

BUT AS WE DROVE INTO THE DOWNTOWN AREA

BY THE RAILROAD TRACKS,

THE BUILDINGS STILL RETAIN THE SHAPE

OF A TURN OF A CENTURY WESTERN TOWN.

OH, AND AS WE PASSED THE UNIVERSITY INN,

ON THE SIGN WHERE AMENITIES SUCH AS HEATED POOL OR CABLE TV

ARE USUALLY TOUTED,

IT SAID...

SO, HOW DID YOU WIND UP HERE ?

WELL, WHEN IT CAME TIME TO GO TO COLLEGE,

MY PARENTS COULDN'T REALLY AFFORD TO SEND ME TO COLLEGE,

SO, I KNEW THAT I WANTED TO STUDY THEATRE,

BUT I KNEW THAT IF I WANTED TO GO TO COLLEGE,

I HAD TO GET ON A SCHOLARSHIP.

SO, THERE'S THIS COMPETITION THEY HAVE EVERY YEAR.

IT'S A WYOMING STATE HIGH SCHOOL COMPETITION THING.

AND...

SO, I CAME TO THE UNIVERSITY TO THE THEATRE DEPARTMENT

TO LOOK FOR SOME GOOD SCENES, RIGHT ?

AND I ASKED THE PROFESSOR, I SAID...

I NEED A KILLER SCENE AND HE'S LIKE HERE.

HERE YOU GO, THIS IS IT.

WHAT WAS IT ?

THAT WAS "ANGELS IN AMERICA".

I READ THAT AND I'M LIKE, THIS IS OKAY.

I CAN WIN BEST SCENE IF I JUST DO A GOOD ENOUGH JOB, YOU KNOW ?

SO, I TELL MY PARENTS, SO THEY CAN SEE ME IN THE COMPETITION.

AND THEY BROUGHT ME IN THE ROOM AND THEY SAT ME DOWN.

AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULDN'T COME TO SEE ME

IF I DID THAT SCENE.

THEY COULDN'T. WHY IS THAT ?

BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IT'S WRONG,

HOMOSEXUALITY IS WRONG.

AND ALL I REMEMBER FROM THE COMPETITION

IS JUST STANDING OVATION.

OH, REALLY ?