Max’s Knowledge and Pride - MKP - Foundation

10/16/2026

Today we are thankful that you have not given up.

10/14/2026

On this we hope you can recognize that you're doing you're best dealing with everything life is throwing at you. Be sure to give yourself some grace.

10/14/2026

Always remember you are perfect just the way you are.

10/13/2026

Today we remember the loss of Matthew Shepard who will not be forgotten.

Today (12 October) marks 28 years since Matthew Shepard died after a brutal homophobic attack.

Shepard was a 21-year-old student, born 1 December 1976, at the University of Wyoming when he was brutalised by two young men he met in a dive bar in Laramie, Wyoming, on 6 October 1998.

They offered to give him a ride home, but drove him to a remote rural area where they beat him into a coma and tied him to a barbed wire prairie fence. Then they stole his shoes before abandoning him in near-freezing conditions.

Shepard was found 18 hours later by a cyclist who at first mistook him for a scarecrow. His injuries were too severe for doctors to operate, and he never woke up after losing consciousness in that cold field in Wyoming. He died in hospital six days later.

Shepard’s killers, Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney, couldn’t be prosecuted for any homophobic motive because federal hate crime laws only encompassed a person’s race, colour, religion or national origin.

McKinney’s lawyers also tried to invoke the “gay panic” defence, arguing he had only intended to rob him but Shepard had made him fly into a rage by touching his leg.

The judge dismissed this shocking legal strategy, and both killers are now serving two consecutive life terms for kidnapping and murder.

Shepard’s parents, Judy and Dennis, refused to accept the flaws in the US legal system. Mobilised by their son’s death, they both became LGBTQ+ activists, and in December 1998 they established the Matthew Shepard Foundation in his name.

In the decade following Shepard’s death, Judy and Dennis lobbied for better legal protections for LGBT+ people. Finally, in October 2009, after a lengthy process in congress, the then-US president Barack Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This act - also a response to the murder of James Byrd Jr, a black man killed by two white supremacists - extended America’s hate crime laws to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

📷 Investigation Discovery

10/12/2026

For today's post we want to encourage everyone to pursue themselves as they move through life.

10/11/2026

Happy National Coming Out Day!!

Today we remember that Max Killian taught us the value of acceptane and love. We know that through acceptance, the world will be a better place.

Whether you are in your personal journey or walking alongside someone else, please remember Max's lesson. Max’s Knowledge and Pride - MKP - Foundation believes that everyone deserves love, support, and celebration and we are here for you.

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🤎🖤

10/10/2026

Self love is a crucial part of and we want you to remember to give yourself grace and love on this

Learn more about Mental Health Coalition's Roadmap to Self-Love here:https://www.thementalhealthcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/MHC_Roadmap_SelfLove_16-9.pdf

10/09/2026

Today we hope you choose happiness.

10/08/2026

Today we are thankful for those in our lives who accept us unconditionally. Be sure to choose people who prioritize you and your energy.

10/08/2026

This let's remember that happiness is contagious. Even an extra smile can and does go a long way.