Filmmaker Beverly Seckinger screened her documentary film “Laramie: Inside Out” at Lindsey Auditorium last Thursday to commemorate the 10th year anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death.

“Laramie: Inside Out” is an independent film that discusses the social and cultural effects that Shepard’s murder had on Laramie, home of the University of Wyoming.

Shepard, a student at the university, was pistol-whipped to death on Oct. 6, 1998 by two men who lured him from a bar and eventually severely beat him on a country road just outside of Laramie because he was gay. He died five days after the attack occurred, at 21 years of age.

Seckinger, a professor at the University of Arizona, and native of Laramie, said she made the documentary because she developed an obsession with the case.

“Going back and feeling what it was like to be there and mourn with my community was my reason for making this film,” Seckinger said.

The film runs a little over an hour and was written and produced by Seckinger in 2004. The documentary discusses how the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community in Wyoming and Laramie reacted to Shepard’s death and the implications it had for the community. Also featured is a group of friends and supporters of Shepard, who were dressed up as angels to represent the opposition against Fred Phelps, the anti-homosexual pastor from Kansas, infamous for picketing the funerals of soldiers and homosexuals all around the country.

This group eventually went on to become the founding group of several alliances for LGBT members in Laramie and pushed legislation in Wyoming for civil unions between gays and lesbians and for gay rights.

After the screening, a panel discussed the documentary. Panelists included law student Matt Goodrich, president of the DU OUTLaws, who answered questions and discussed issues on campus and in Colorado. OUTLaws is dedicated to educating people about sexual orientation and gender issues.

Some people featured in the film were also present and participated in the discussion, including Moises Kaufman, an active member of the LGBT community in Laramie and Shepard’s friend.

“I thought it was interesting to have someone from the Matthew Shepard event actually here,” said sophomore Ben Henderson. “It made it much more meaningful.”

The documentary was also screened to mark National Coming Out Week, which ended with National Coming Out Day on Saturday.

The Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) on campus handed out green shirts with the message “I am” on the front and “I will” on the back. Under each text was a small white box that could be filled in to complete the phrase.

“We gave out close to 500 shirts this week,” said Christopher Turner, QSA president, who was also a panelist.

“People on campus are starting to support [us] more and more,” he said.