The murder of Gwen Araujo, part of a national epidemic of violence against transgender people, presents an opportunity for all of us to examine our attitudes about gender, gender expectations, discrimination based on gender identity and individual and institutional responsibility.

--Larry Brinkin, senior officer / San Francisco's Human Rights Commission

This is yet another case in the trend of violence against the transgender community, and more disturbingly, murders of transgendered youth. The public needs to be educated and these killings must stop. --- http://transyouth.net/index.html

Gwen has been described as a beautiful person both inside and out and always smiling. She lived in Newark, CA, a small town 30 miles from San Francisco, the supposed gay mecca of the United States. --- http://transyouth.net

The complex issues arising from the news of Gwen Araujo's murder start with one basic, simple fact: Gwen Araujo was a young woman. In teenage parlance, she was a girl. Articles and reports in the media refer to a "boy" named "Eddie," which are references to Gwen's sex at birth and her given name. But according to our understanding of who Gwen was, she was trying to make it clear to her family, friends, schoolmates and others in her life that she was female. She dressed in women's clothes, wore makeup, tried on different female names (settling finally on Gwen), presented in every way as female, and spoke of yearning for physical transformation, including surgery. --- --Larry Brinkin, senior officer / San Francisco's Human Rights Commission

A national survey shows most Americans know little about transgender people. The poll, taken for The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), shows that while most people accept that a person can be transgender, more education is needed to help people better understand the lives of transgender Americans.

"The data shows that most people want to treat transgender Americans fairly and protect them from workplace discrimination and hate crimes," said David Smith, HRC communications director and senior strategist.

"Still, the majority of Americans report being uncomfortable about transgender issues, especially when confronted with the challenges that transgender people face," he said.

Seventy percent of Americans have heard the word "transgender."

"The concept of transgender is something that the public is aware of, if not focused on," said Celinda Lake, of the polling firm Lake Snell Perry & Associates Inc., which conducted the survey for HRC.

"Most people accept that it is possible for a person to be 'born as one sex but inside feel like the other sex.' However, many are confused about what transgender means, and which people would be considered transgender," she said.

All voters overwhelmingly favor transgender students attending public schools, according to the poll results. Additionally, despite differences between sympathizers and opponents, there is a strong general consensus that no one should be subjected to violence and discrimination because of who they are.

There are, however, differences between the two points of view on how to address these issues. The poll found that sympathizers who believe in transgender equality favor transgender-specific laws, and opponents prefer using what they erroneously believe to be existing laws to protect transgender people. However, the fact remains that there are very few jurisdictions that prohibit discrimination against transgender Americans, said HRC.

Additionally, the poll found a very critical correlation between whether the public sees being transgender as a moral issue and whether they think people have a choice about being transgender.

"Three-quarters of those who say being transgender is a choice, also see it as a moral issue," said Lake, "while two-thirds who do not see it as a moral issue say people are born transgender."

For more news, visit 365Gay.com.

Marching, shouting, demanding an end to attacks on transgenders.

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