GLBT event

What I learned from Gwen


PRISM, a GLBT group on campus, sponsored an event where the mother of a trans gender person spoke. She told the story of her daughter Gwen, who was born male. Gwen was beautiful and full of life. When she was seventeen years old, she went to a house party in her hometown in California. There, she was confronted by four boys who asked her if she was really a woman. Gwen's response "Isn't it obvious?" infuriated the boys. After tackling her to the floor, and seeing that she still had male parts, they beat her. But they did not just beat Gwen, they killed her. The thought of these men and their hate taking someone else's life is so disturbing. Worse, they buried her in a shallow grave and then ended their night by going to breakfast at McDonald's. I cannot explain the emotion I felt as Gwen's mother told us these horrible details. She just kept saying that it was not those men that killed her daughter, hate killed her. This really struck me because I realized that horrible events like the murder of Gwen will not end until people stop hating others because they are different. Gwen may have been different than the men that killed her, but everyone is different in some way, and no one has the right to hurt someone else because of who they are.
After she told her story, Gwen's mother asked for any questions. Earlier, she had mentioned how hard it was for Gwen growing up. She was constantly teased, picked on, and harassed, especially in school. I asked her if teachers were supportive of Gwen and her transition. I asked whether or not the teachers and administrators did anything to make school safe for Gwen, as they should for all students. Her response was very saddening. She told me that Gwen did have some good teachers, but for the most part, none of them gave her any support. Her teachers, and the school, turned a blind eye to the harassment that Gwen received at school every day. As a future educator, I am appalled that no one in the school did more to help Gwen. No matter what your beliefs or opinions are, as a teacher or school faculty, it is your responsibility to make school safe for every student. The fact that Gwen's mother's eyes teared up as she talked about Gwen's experience in school proves that this was not the case.