The real-life story of transgender teenager Gwen Araujo is one that ( in the eyes of many ) spotlights, among other things, the shortsightedness of the legal system. In 2002, Araujo ( born Edward Araujo, Jr. ) died during or shortly being savagely attacked by four men after discovering that the 17-year-old was biologically male even though she lived as a female. Two criminal trials took place and, in the most recent one, two of the defendants were convicted of second-degree murder—although the jury concluded that the killing did not constitute a hate crime. ( Two of the defendants were sentenced to 15 years to life in prison on Jan. 26. A third defendant received six years under a plea bargain while the fourth testified against the other three for a lesser charge of manslaughter. )
On June 19 at 8 p.m., Lifetime Television premiered A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story, with actor J.D. Pardo portraying Araujo and veteran actress Mercedes Ruehl taking on the role of Araujo's mother, Sylvia Guerrero, who has become a transgender activist since Aruajo's killing. ( The show will also air June 25 at 6 p.m. CT and June 30 at 8 p.m. CT. )
Windy City Times recent spoke with famed attorney Gloria Allred—who represented Guerrero and is co-executive producer of the film—about the movie, Guerrero and her own book, Fight Back and Win.
Windy City Times: Take me back to your first meeting with Sylvia Guerrero. What moved you to represent her?
Gloria Allred: First of all, this story is in my book, Fight Back and Win, and Sylvia is on the cover.
As for representing her, how could I not? This was a mother who suffered a terrible, terrible tragedy. To find that her teenage daughter is dead was a shock to her and was a lightning bolt through the community. It was confusing, disturbing and life-changing. I couldn't imagine not helping her and her family. The family loved Gwen for who she was; they loved her during her life and after her death. They had a difficult time understanding how and why this could happen. There's no excuse or justification for what happened. [ The murder ] was senseless and wrong.
WCT: Do you feel that justice ultimately prevailed?
GA: I think the jury was correct in deciding that two of the defendants should be convicted of murder, even though it was second-degree. [ Allred then reads a passage from her book that describes what the jury decided. Among other things, she reads that at the end of the first trial, 'the good news was that the jury didn't buy the gay panic or trans panic argument.' ]
WCT: You served as co-executive producer for A Girl Like Me, correct?
GA: I represented Sylvia and took the movie to Lifetime. I wanted this story to be told. It's a very important story; it's about a mother's love, acceptance and understanding. It's also a story of what can happen when violence tears through a family. [ It's about ] when a transgender teen has to suffer from an act of violence and how that transforms and impacts a mother. It's extremely important.
WCT: You talked about being transformed—and you were also changed by your own experiences, I understand.
GA: We all have been. The reason I wrote [ this book ] is because, for the last 30 years that I've been practicing law, I've evolved from being a victim myself to becoming a survivor to becoming a fighter for change. I wanted to write this book to show others how they can evolve. Our law firm has fought against tremendous odds—what I call David- ( or Davida ) -and-Goliath battles—where we represent the typical person against the famous, sexual predators, killers and others who have inflicted harm upon them. I want to show people that they have the power to win justice in their own lives.
We've won hundreds of millions of dollars for victims, and I'm very proud of our record regarding people who've been discriminated against because [ of their sexual orientation ] . In fact, including Gwen's case, there are four [ LGBT-related ] cases in my book. In one 1980s case, two lesbian businesswomen who were life mates reserved a romantic spot at an L.A. restaurant—and were told that they had to move because the spot was for couples only. They contacted me and we won the case. We won a precedent that stood for the proposition that businesses cannot discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation.
WCT: We touched on this a little already, but I want to go back to it. For you to represent someone, does the situation have to resonate viscerally or intellectually—as in 'this doesn't make any sense?'
GA: There are a number of factors we look at, [ including ] time commitments, legal issues, the firm's resources, the client's resources and the importance of the issue. I just knew that [ the Araujo case involved ] a mother and family that needed assistance, and I have assisted them these many years, through trials, preliminary hearings and the funeral, where there were protesters.
WCT: So the factors that come into play vary from person to person.
GA: They do vary, but I am concerned about the transgender population and their rights. Before this case, I had a case in which we represented a young transgender woman who had been discriminated against by a local beauty school. We sued them and were able to resolve the case in favor of our client.
WCT: You've got to be one of the highest-profile attorneys in the country, which means you have a lot of admirers—but also some detractors. In fact, [ one legal commentator ] allegedly said that 'lawyers shouldn't try their cases in the media and Allred has already tried far more cases in the media than she has tried in any courtroom.' How do you respond to that?
GA: All I can say is this: I'm a civil-rights attorney and I'm concerned with change. We do not believe that victims should have to suffer in silence and we believe that we have a duty to shine the spotlight on injustice and those who inflict injustice upon our clients. I will continue to speak out on behalf of those who are gay, lesbian and transgender. Our clients have expressed their gratitude and happiness that we have helped them to have a voice and that we have assisted them in vindicating their rights. We battle hard for our clients because we believe in our clients.
For more information about the movie, see www.lifetimetv.com .