October 19, 2002
Photo courtesy of sfgate.com
In Memory of Gwen Araujo
Gwen Araujo dreamed of becoming a Hollywood make up artist. She has been described as a beautiful person both inside and out and always smiling. She always thought of herself as a girl, preferred the name Gwen, and always wanted a sex change. She lived in Newark, CA, a small town 30 miles from San Francisco, the supposed gay capital of the United States.
At age 14, Gwen had the courage to come out to her parents. She grew out her hair and wore crop tops and women's jeans. Finally, at age 17, she borrowed her friend's miniskirt and her mom's blouse and had the courage to go out in a skirt as herself for the first time.
"[S]he went through a lot of pain, and people didn't respect h[er], her mother, Sylvia Guerrero, said. "It took a lot of guts. [S]he's strong, and [s]he finally came out."
Gwen went to a house party introduced as "Lida," and passed as a beautiful girl. That is until Paul Merel's girlfriend discovered in the bathroom that she was transsexual, and announced it at the party. Authorities say that Michael William Magidson, 22, Jose Antonio Merel, 22, and Jaron Chase Nabors, 19, punched Gwen in the face, beat her, gashing her face, and then dragged her to a garage while she was semi-conscious and strangled her with rope until she was killed. The men then allegedly tied her wrists and ankles, wrapped her in a bedsheet, and drove her body to Silver Fork Campground, about 100 miles away in El Dorado County.
Paul Richard Merel Jr., 25, Paul Merel's brother, was also arrested with the others, but released Friday. Magidson, Paul Merel, and Nabors are charged with murder and also face a hate-crime enhancement.
www.transyouth.net