Shepard's mom to attend Gay Ski Week

The mother of slain University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard will attend Gay Ski Week in Aspen, Colo., next month to promote her new book. Judy Shepard will be in Aspen on January 21 to sign copies of A Face in the Crowd, which depicts people with different messages of diversity. It will be one of Shepard's first stops on her national publicity tour, according to Brenda Fraser, executive director of the Aspen Gay and Lesbian Community Fund. Shepard also will attend the first annual "Vision Dinner," along with Esera Tuaolo, the former NFL defensive lineman who publicly came out as gay in November. Gay Ski Week, which starts January 19, typically features plenty of skiing, dancing, and social mixers. However, Fraser said, the event will be more than just a good party. "In the past we have raised a lot of money, and now we're offering more programs and developing our vision for the next two or three years," she said. Included will be a panel discussion on gay adoption, scheduled for January 20, and one of the community fund's scholarships to be named for Matthew Shepard will be announced. The scholarship will be available for high school and undergraduate students in Colorado.