LGBT Event: Gwen Araujo

On Friday, November 14, I went to an LGBT event about the terrifying murder of Gwen Araujo. I had never heard about this before, but what I learned was absolutely horrendous. To start the seminar, we watched two videos. The first was a personal account of the murder and funeral of Gwen, which was made by a transgender friend. It was very heartwrenching. I am really glad that we were shown such an intimate video first because I felt an immediate connection to Gwen and her family. The second video we watched was a recording of news coverage of the murder and investigation. This video was really informational. This was really beneficial so we did not have to ask these questions to the speaker. Also, there was a lifetime movie made about Gwen, which I really would like to watch. It is called "A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story."

For those reading this post that do not know Gwen's story, here is a brief recap: Gwen Araujo was a young transgender girl who was brutally murdered at 17 years old by four men in Newark, CA. At a party, they asked her if she was a boy or a girl, held her down, removed her clothes, and upon discovering that she was transgender, beat her and strangled her to death. (See links at end of blog for more information)

The speaker was Sylvia Guerrero, the mother of Gwen Araujo. Hearing her speak about the murder of her daughter was really emotional and unbelievable. She told us of her life after Gwen's death: how she has coped, that she has been telling her story all over the country and working so hard as an advocate for the LGBT community. She said that she has been changing laws in California to protect and support members of the LGBT community. I was amazed at the strength of this woman, being able to speak so openly about the unjust death of her daughter. 

Before attending this event, I did not really know much or understand what I did know about transgender people. Seeing the videos and listening to the speaker, though, I feel so much more knowledgeable and comfortable with people who identify themselves as transgender. I could see just through the video clips and by listening to Sylvia Guerrero that Gwen was a young girl just like me, living her life, expressing herself in her own personal way. There is no reason in the entire world that someone else should have even judged her, let alone taken her life into their own hands. I was appalled when listening to the accounts of Gwen's death and I felt inspired by this event to be more proactive in my community about issues involving diversity. I really would like to continue to attend events, meetings, rallies, etc. about LGBT and other issues that we have covered in this class. 

Informational links:

- www.transgenderlawcenter.org/gwen/

- www.gwenaraujo.blogspot.com

- www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/movies/girl-me-gwen-araujo-story