Judy Shepard’s meeting with President Obama

A lot of us have felt pretty down on the Obama administration this week, and rightfully so. But here is one sight that is nice to see: President Barack Obama with activist Judy Shepard in the Oval Office.

Judy’s son Matthew Shepard was murdered 10 years ago and this woman has been fighting for federal hate crime laws ever since. She had to endure the eight years of the Bush administration and a president who vetoed legislation passed by the congress then earlier this month, the hateful comments from Virginia Foxx, a congresswoman from Georgia who has had the good sense to keep her mouth shut mostly since.

Shepard told The Advocate that her meeting with Obama was short: “It was supposed to be 10 minutes, but his meeting beforehand ran long and I only had a minute or so with him.”

But it was long enough for Obama to assure Shepard that he was still a supporter of the hate-crimes bill named in honor of her son who was murdered in Laramie, Wyo. at the  age of 21.

She was then ushered to a luncheon hosted by Michelle Obama. “It was me and about 80 other people,” she said, adding that she didn’t have time to speak one-on-one with the First Lady.

Although she understands that many activists, like David Mixner, are becoming increasingly frustrated with the White House, Shepard encourages people to be patient when it comes to LGBT legislation.

“We are victims of our own hope,” she says. “These bills are going to get passed, it’s just going to take time and work.”