As part of a European tour, which took them to Poland, Latvia and Estonia, the Shepards met with Hungarian LGBT and human rights organizations, students and government officials to discuss the work of the Mattew Shepard Foundation.

The parenting of a gay child was a focal point of a discussion hosted by the group Szimpozion Klub and attended by Natalia Szenteh, an author that has written on the topic. At a meeting with representatives of the Equal Treatment Office, the Ombudsman’s Office, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Budapest Police HQ the discussion centered on the legal environment, prevention of violence against LGBT people and the need for a hate crime database.

The Shepards also met with members of Parliament’s Human Rights Committee and mid-level police officers from Ukraine, Serbia and Hungary who were attended a training program at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest.

The last day of their official trip took the Shepards to Szeged, where they were hosted by the two LGBT groups (Boltiv and Colorful Circles). The two-hour trip was rewarded by a lively conversation with members of the local LGBT community and turned out to be especially memorable.

During the visit, a screening of the film the Matthew Shepard Story was also held at a public movie theater.

Photo: Judy and Dennis Shepard and Ms. Szenteh at the discussion hosted by the group Szimpozion Klub (Embassy photo by Attila Németh)

Learn more about Matthew Shepard Foundation by clicking here

Source: U.S. Embassy Budapest