Matthew Shepard revisionism (at last?)

20/20, the ABC News show, is set to air new interviews with the murderers of Matthew Shepard. The report will portray the murder as a drug-fueled robbery gone awry, not a hate crime perpetrated solely because Shepard was gay. The report will allege that Shepard knew one of his assailants, who was himself bisexual, and that Shepard was a methamphetamine user despondent over a recent positive test for the HIV virus.

Sordid, indeed? Perhaps. But was I the only one intensely annoyed by the quite literal deification of Shepard? I remember seeing flyers up around New Haven around the time of his murder, with an artist's rendering that made it resemble the crucifixion. Below was a caption that read "He died for our sins." And of course there is the matter of the most allegorical name, Shepard, since the plaintiffs in Loving v. Virginia.

I'm almost comforted to know that Shepard was a mess like the rest of us. Of course those who already hate us will pile on this one. But as Grace's gay brother said in last week's Jack & Bobby, "I'm not fucked up because I'm gay. I'm just fucked up."