Gwen Araujo
1985–2002 (age 17)
Biography
Gwen Araujo was a spirited teenager from Newark and later San Jose who embraced her identity as a transgender girl with courage, brightening her community with warmth, creativity, and a sense of justice that inspired classmates and neighbors.
Her brutal murder in 2002 by people who refused to accept her identity shocked the nation and spurred conversations and activism around hate-crime laws, leaving Gwen remembered at Hollywood Forever Cemetery as a symbol of resilience and the ongoing fight for transgender rights.