Last week, I saw this amazing and sad film about a young man who was murdered because he's a transgender. From what I read in the internet, the made-for-TV film premiered in the US in 2006. Maybe it just reach this part of the world in 2008. I don't remember on which channel I watched it. Maybe HBO (Channel 411 Astro Malaysia) or Star Movies (Channel 413 Astro Malaysia).
The film tells the story of Gwen Araujo (born Edward Araujo), a transgender who was murdered after his acquaintances discovered that he has male genitalia. He had been living as a female so most of his acquaintances didn't know he was actually a male. When some of them found out, they killed him. I'm not sure whether they killed him because of discrimination and hate (as in hate crime) or because of gay panic (as what the defendants claimed).
I'm not so sure what a gay panic defense is that the defendants had been using in the trials so I've checked Wiki for the meaning. Apparently, gay panic defense is when a defendant claims that they have been the object of romantic or sexual advances by the victim, and the propositions so offensive and frightening that it brought on a psychotic state characterized by unusual violence.
Okay, so I understand they were shocked when they found out but to murder the person??? C'mon, that is just cruel. I mean, a punch or a slap is different, but Gwen had been reported to be beaten for 5 hours! That was not 'shocked', that was 'hate'. But of course that is from my point of view. The jury apparently didn't think so since none of them had been committed with hate crime.
Anyway, it's a very touching and sad story. If you ever stumbled upon this film, please watch it. It's really good.
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