As more people “come out of the closet,” issues such as what their rights are become the center point of discussion. In Wyoming, where Matthew Sheppard was murdered by two men posing as homosexuals, the mentality has drastically been affected by the ever changing acceptance of gays and lesbians.

Wyoming is one of the first states to deal with the “gay America.” Five years ago, Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney “got Matthew Sheppard into a truck, tied him to a fence outside Laramie, beat him into an unrecognizable shell and left him to die.”(Cloud, 2003) What message were they sending out? They were showing what would

happen if you “came out of the closet.” Have things changed? If so, how?

But even though it is a concept that is gradually being embraced, it still is an issue that has its boundaries. Nightlife does not offer much for the gays and lesbians. Wyoming is thought to be the only state that does not have a gay bar. There are still cases where couples that live together identify themselves as roommates only so as not to cause any waves. And then there are those whose families discover that relatives are gay, as a result they disown these that decide to express their sexual preferences. The military mentality, “Don’t ask, don’t tell” has been a concept widely accepted in the state of Wyoming. “People have an open mind, but a closed mouth here,” says Alan Simpson, former GOP Senator from Wyoming and honorary chairman of the R.U.C.(Cloud, 2003)

With a state that is trying to accept alternative lifestyles, it still has its limits. Many are willing to accept others decisions but only if the subject is kept silent. The acceptance of gay politicians is a slow process. In the uprising of gay America, many ar

Some topics in this essay:
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