Rolling Stone article about Gwen Araujo

[joyboy123]

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/sto...s-player=false

[LG]

I read about this a while ago and was very distressed when I did. It is such a shame that a beautiful young girl like Gwen Araujo, a girl who was finally starting to lead the life she wanted to lead, was killed so violently because of some people's homophobia- the panic that got into them when they realised that the objective of their desire had a cock.

Gwen may have tried to trick people, but she did not deserve to be hurt, much less killed. All she wanted was to be treated like a woman, to be desired. And there is no excuse to murder.

Such a shame. A life lost and others destroyed because of people's, of society's inability to understand, to accept.

[TrueBeauty TS]

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6959159?pageid=rs.NewsArchive&pageregion=mainRegion&rnd=1108094994800&has-player=false

Thanks Joyboy, for posting that. Horrible story, but it's good that people here have to opportunity to read it, if they will.

Thanks again.

[Toro]

unreal - reading that story made me so angry. those guys and anyone else in on it should fry.

[lurker]

Indeed, thank you for posting this link.

The information in the story was very enlightening about how this event happened. And though I see no justification for a murder, it is clear that the small minded individiuals in this case would see no other resolution.

This just re-emphasizes that we all need to be careful with the people around us, and above all honest with the people with whom we are involved.

--lurker

[El_hefe]

Thanks for posting, really horrible story, I hope justice is done when they are sentenced. I know justice will be done to them once they're inside, they won't have to worry then about "seeming" gay.

[Hugh Jarrod]

I live near the church where her services were held, and a friend of mine teaches at her high school. This was a tragedy in that the jury seems to have thought that she deserved a death sentence for having tricked someone into oral sex. Grant it what she did was wrong, but by no means did the punishment fit the crime. Some kid thinks it's the end of his life because he was blown by someone genetically born the same gender as him, and that makes it OK to commit murder! I feel for her family deeply.

[GroobySteven]

Excellent article.
While in no way condoning what happened to Gwen, similar incidents have happened/are happening constantly. A transgender tricks a guy into sex only for him to find out later - while most incidents probably result in nothing of significance, there are still many which end in violence and tears.

It would be easy to blame this on "homophobic" people but in truth most of these guys who are tricked probably aren't so much homophobic but when presented with a shock that they've been tricked...for whatever reason, react as only their religious and social indoctrines allow them to. They're not guys going out looking for fairy's to beat up on - they're guys who have picked up a girl only to find something else, long after they have committed to something.

Again, I don't want this to devolve into an argument of justification for murder/violence but what do transgenders who do this sort of behavior expect? It's easy to see what they get out of it - the thrill of passing as a gender girl, the thrill of being "bad" and maybe even the validation of their looks (I suspect the thrill is the main part). I've met many girls who have participated in similar situations to what Gwen did.

In my opinion, the problem lies with the girls who delibrately try and trick guys (it's cool in a bar or club - but as soon as he advances to take you home, 'fess up) into situations like this. They not only bring danger to themselves, they cause distress to people who never aimed to put themselves in that situation as well as bring a bad vibe on the community in general.
seanchai

[Hugh Jarrod]

Excellent article.
While in no way condoning what happened to Gwen, similar incidents have happened/are happening constantly. A transgender tricks a guy into sex only for him to find out later - while most incidents probably result in nothing of significance, there are still many which end in violence and tears.

It would be easy to blame this on "homophobic" people but in truth most of these guys who are tricked probably aren't so much homophobic but when presented with a shock that they've been tricked...for whatever reason, react as only their religious and social indoctrines allow them to. They're not guys going out looking for fairy's to beat up on - they're guys who have picked up a girl only to find something else, long after they have committed to something.

Again, I don't want this to devolve into an argument of justification for murder/violence but what do transgenders who do this sort of behavior expect? It's easy to see what they get out of it - the thrill of passing as a gender girl, the thrill of being "bad" and maybe even the validation of their looks (I suspect the thrill is the main part). I've met many girls who have participated in similar situations to what Gwen did.

In my opinion, the problem lies with the girls who delibrately try and trick guys (it's cool in a bar or club - but as soon as he advances to take you home, 'fess up) into situations like this. They not only bring danger to themselves, they cause distress to people who never aimed to put themselves in that situation as well as bring a bad vibe on the community in general.
seanchai

I'd agree as I stated above what she did was wrong, and I see by your post that you agree that the punishment does not fit the crime. Well said my friend.

[El_hefe]

In general seanchai I agree with you, but she was a teenager just trying to figure out who she really was in this world. Tough enough when you don't have seemingly overwhelming gender and / or sexuality issues to unravel. I remember how important being accepted was then, even if they were the worst crowd for her, she probably felt she was accepted somewhere as the girl she wanted to become.