The anti-gay crime that gave rise to the Matthew Shepard hate-crimes bill was characterized in the US House of Representatives by Rep Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) as "a hoax." She claims Shepard's sexual orientation wasn't a motivating factor when he became the victim of a robbery and beating that ended in his death.

There is powerful symbolism associated with the name of Matthew Shepard and the appalling way in which he was murdered. Conservatives like Foxx fear he is being used as a 'gay martyr' to push a gay rights agenda.

Foxx's spurious "hoax" claim is based on politics and spin, not on evidence. The fact that Shepard was robbed in no way precludes the anti-gay motivation.

The vicious attack on Matthew Shepard that led to his death occurred on October 7, 1998, near Laramie, Wyoming. He met two associates named Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney in a local area bar. The two invited Shepard for a ride in their car. He was subsequently robbed, pistol whipped, tortured and tied to a post in a remote rural area.

When he was discovered, he was in a coma. His injuries were severe. He had a head fracture and brain stem damage that interfered with his body's ability to regulate heart rate, body temperature and other vital signs. There were also lacerations around his head, face and neck.

The beating was so vicious the only areas of Shepard's face that weren't covered in blood were those where his tears had washed the blood away.

Doctors considered his injuries too severe to operate. He never regained consciousness and died as friends and supporters held a candlelight vigil in Laramie.

The excessive violence involved in this attack suggests intense hatred. Few criminals murder in this brutal fashion for 20 bucks, unless they are unhinged psychopaths. Clearly there was powerful emotion at play that went way beyond simple intent-to-rob.

Former Chief of Police in Laramie, Dave O'Malley, has pointed out that robbery in the Shepard case in no way rules out an anti-gay motive.

The perpetrators have changed their story at various times for reasons that have more to do with expediency than truth, so it's important to look at what was said in and around the time of the crime.

When Kristen Price (McKinney's girlfriend) was interviewed in 1998 for the TV show 20/20 she said: "They just wanted to beat him bad enough to teach him a lesson, not to come on to straight people, and don't be aggressive about it anymore."

In a taped confession after the attack McKinney called Shepard a "queer" and a "fag." Strange language for someone who also claimed he had no problem with gay people.

During a 1998 hearing prior to the trial, a police investigator testified that one of the men announced "It's Gay Awareness Week" before hitting Shepard with a pistol butt.

McKinney's lawyers used a "gay panic" defense. They claimed that McKinney flew into a rage after being hit on by Shepard.

During the trial Chastity Pasley and Kristen Price testified under oath that Henderson and McKinney had plotted beforehand to rob a gay man and that they deliberately selected Shepard as their target. They also testified under oath that McKinney and Henderson weren't on any drugs at the time of the attack.

To try to argue that Shepard's sexuality wasn't an issue in this attack is a re-invention of the incident by people who have a vested interest in a different version.

Not long after the murder Moises Kaufman and nine members of the Tectonic Theater Project traveled from New York to Laramie in order to conduct interviews with a cross-section of the town's residents. Included in the group they interviewed was the bartender from the bar where Shepard was picked up the night he was beaten. Their play about the experience titled The Laramie Project leaves no doubt that this was a crime motivated by anti-gay hatred.

Brad Luna of the Human Rights Campaign said Foxx should be "ashamed of herself" for her "malicious and twisted lies."

The bill, officially called the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, passed the House over conservatives’ objections.