The book this is based on, The Story Of Matt, came out over a year ago.
The Guardian first wrote about it in October 2013.
Fagburn wrote about the problems many had with both the book and the Matthew Shepard 'hate crime' case here.
Many of the book's allegations have been circulating since right after his death - and were examined 15 years ago in a thoughtful, lengthy Vanity Fair article by Melanie Thernstrom, The Crucifixion Of Matthew Shephard.
And in a three-part series for Harper's in 1999 by JoAnn Wypijewski, A Boy's Life.
So why is The Observer publishing this article now?
And why is Bindel - valiant attacker of smears on the character of rape victims - so quick, and yet so slow, to give credence to those against the murdered Shepard, and on blaming the victim?
Hmm...
Update: Book of Matt author responds to Media Matters.
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No-one deserves to die like Matthew Shephard and that death symbolises the hatred and brutality that some humans are capable of towards people that they do not regard as "normal". Surely the family and friends of Matthew have suffered enough without people raking over these events. Even if he was having sex with men in the main street while simultaneously shooting up, he didn't deserve to be beaten almost to death and then tied to a fence post and left to die.
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