Changes

Developed by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project, this play first opened at the Ricketson Theatre by the Denver Center Theatre Company in February 2000.  It was also performed at the Union Square Theater in [[New York City]], and again in November 2002 in Laramie.  [[HBO]] subsequently made a movie based on this play, which was also notorious for using well-known Hollywood actors to portray several of the townspeople of Laramie despite it being treated as a documentary.  Since then it has spread to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of high schools across the United States, typically without parents having any idea what is in it.  Some school boards have rejected attempts to bring this play to schools in their districts.

Developed by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project, this play first opened at the Ricketson Theatre by the Denver Center Theatre Company in February 2000.  It was also performed at the Union Square Theater in [[New York City]], and again in November 2002 in Laramie.  [[HBO]] subsequently made a movie based on this play, which was also notorious for using well-known Hollywood actors to portray several of the townspeople of Laramie despite it being treated as a documentary.  Since then it has spread to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of high schools across the United States, typically without parents having any idea what is in it.  Some school boards have rejected attempts to bring this play to schools in their districts.

''The Laramie Project'' distorts the facts and completely omits how "Shepard's killers, in their first interview since their convictions, tell '20/20's' Elizabeth Vargas that money and drugs motivated their actions that night, not hatred of gays."<ref name="20/20">[http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=277685&page=1 20/20 News Story on Matthew Sheppard]</ref>  

''The Laramie Project'' distorts the facts and completely omits how "Shepard's killers, in their first interview since their convictions, tell '20/20's' Elizabeth Vargas that money and drugs motivated their actions that night, not hatred of gays."<ref name="20/20">[https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=277685&page=1 20/20 News Story on Matthew Sheppard]</ref>  

Shepard's friends claimed even before the details of the crime were known that it was a hate-motivated crime.  After the crime was discovered, Shepard's friends "were calling the County Attorney's office, they were calling the media and indicating Matthew Shepard is gay and we don't want the fact that he is gay to go unnoticed."<ref name="20/20" />

Shepard's friends claimed even before the details of the crime were known that it was a hate-motivated crime.  After the crime was discovered, Shepard's friends "were calling the County Attorney's office, they were calling the media and indicating Matthew Shepard is gay and we don't want the fact that he is gay to go unnoticed."<ref name="20/20" />