In October 1998, Romaine Patterson lost her good friend, Matthew Shepard, to a murder inspired by anti-gay hate. Her ordeal moved thousands of people across America to attend vigils and rallies in Matthew’s honor. Determined to prevent her friend’s fate from befalling other people, Romaine decided to help carry on Matthew’s legacy by embracing the just causes he had championed. This includes working for gay and lesbian equality and helping to prevent hate crimes. Romaine is determined to use her grief over her friend’s death to make a difference. She has made the prevention of hate crimes the focus of her efforts, and she is now speaking to audiences nationwide about what they can do to make their schools and communities safer for everyone, regardless of their race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation.

To book Romaine or to find out more information please contact us at: romaine@eatromaine.com

All of Romaine’s speaking engagements can be crafted to cover a variety of issues depending on your needs. Some examples of topics include:

Matthew Shepard – Hear first hand what happened and why. Find out how lives were changed and what didn’t change at all.
The Laramie Project – What it was really like, and what it means today for the people seeing it and the people that lived it.
Hate Crimes – How hate crimes affect a community and what can be done locally and nationally to create change.
Issues of Hate in School – From name calling in the hall way to attacks on campus what can be done to make schools safer for everyone.
Images in the Media – From Eminem to Will & Grace how images in the media affect the way people look at LGBT issues.
Youth Activism – Tips on how young people can get more involved in activism in some very basic ways.

**Romaine is the co-host of the “Derek & Romaine Show” on Sirius Satellite Radio and can also speak about issues of sexuality, romance and dating issues…which are all features of her daily talk show.

Romaine ends most of her speaking engagements with an open forum Q&A.