The 1998 killing of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard—who was beaten and tied to a fence outside of his hometown of Laramie—pushed the issue of gay rights into the national spotlight and supercharged the LGBT movement. Now 16 years later, Wyoming has become the latest state to recognize same-sex marriage. On Tuesday, state lawyers announced that they will not defend a law forbidding gay marriage, which allows county clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples almost immediately. A celebration for the victory is planned for Tuesday night in Cheyenne, where the state’s first same-sex union will become official.
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