Matthew Shepard laid to rest at National Cathedral

The ashes of Matthew Shepard, a gay man who was murdered in 1998 by two men over his sexuality, were interred in the National Cathedral on Saturday.

Shepard, 21, was beaten and killed in an attack in October 1998 that shocked the nation and galvanized the LGBT rights movement by bringing national attention to the violence LGBT Americans frequently faced and sometimes still face from others.

His remains were received Friday at the cathedral by Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, according to a statement from the cathedral.{mosads}

Shepard’s ashes were honored 20 years after his death on Saturday by attendees at the service, including the poet Maggie Smith who posted about Shepard on Instagram.

“What an honor meeting the Shepards,” Smith wrote in a post showing a program from the service. “As Bishop Gene Robinson said: Welcome home, Matt.”

View this post on Instagram

In DC today with my dear friend of 35 years, @mattjoslyn76, for the Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance for #MatthewShepard, whose remains are now permanently interred at Washington National Cathedral. What a beautiful, moving service. And what an honor meeting the Shepards. As Bishop Gene Robinson said: Welcome home, Matt.

A post shared by Maggie Smith (@maggiesmithpoet) on Oct 26, 2018 at 11:26am PDT

The New York Times previously reported that Shepard’s family had avoided picking a final resting place for their son out of fear that his grave would be desecrated by opponents of the LGBT rights movement, leading to them eventually selecting the National Cathedral as a location.

“I think it’s the perfect, appropriate place,” Dennis Shepard, Matthew Shepard’s father, told the Times.

“It’s a place where there’s an actual chance for others to sit and reflect about Matthew, and about themselves, and about their friends,” he added.

Shepard’s mother, Judy Shepard, appeared in an ad for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 against now-President Trump, urging Americans to vote against him over his rhetoric.

“Words have an influence; violence causes pain; hate can rip us apart,” Judy Shepard said. “I know what can happen as the result of hate, and Donald Trump should never be our president.”