Jennifer Gable
Jennifer Gable was a transwoman who passed away suddenly in October of this year. I've written about her story
here, and it was picked up by several other media outlets
here,
here, and
here, to name a few. (Do yourself a favor and don't read the Yahoo! comments. I don't know what it is about Yahoo! participants that make them particularly vile.)
Jennifer lived in Meridian, an exurb of Boise, and when she passed away her estranged family brought her back to Southern Idaho for the funeral and burial. When friends arrived to the funeral, they were shocked to see that the family had cut her hair, dressed her in a suit, and buried her as a man.
My wife and I started a fundraiser for Jennifer, so that we could purchase a proper memorial for her. Our fundraising sputtered for the first couple of days, then began to pick up as more media outlets reported on our efforts. As of yesterday, we had reached $1,173 for Jen, many of them small "symbolic" donations that have added up.
But our efforts began to once again lose momentum, and we had completely stalled. We spent most of the day yesterday working on more outreach and began to feel defeated. Where we had spent the previous several days counting the donations and watching them come in with so much support and love, we helplessly watched as the marker remained at the $1,173 mark.
And then, a few things happened.
First, we were contacted for a live radio interview which will air live today at 4:30 PM MST here. Please join us!
Next, I was contacted by a Canadian-based PR firm that wants to work on Jennifer's cause with us pro bono. The text of the email stated:
I read the story about Jennifer ' s funeral and was shocked and saddened. When I heard that you were organizing a proper memorial for her I was reminded that there are good people who will do their part to right the wrongs of others.
There has been widespread media coverage about what happened to Jennifer but it does not seem to have translated into people joining your effort and donating at the pace that would be expected.
I want to help with that. I run a public relations firm called [redacted] and I would like to volunteer myself and my team to help spread the word about your fundraising effort with the goal of helping you raise the funds.
We would work closely with you or a spokesperson of your choosing to appeal through the media for the funds you're seeking for this.
There is no cost to you or anyone for our work on this. I find what happened so unbelievable I think it is important that as a society we collectively show ourselves to be better than how Jennifer was treated.
Emphasis mine.
After that, I received several other emails from donors and other non-profit organizations who want to assist with the Jennifer Gable Support Network. Our goal is lofty, but worthwhile and I truly believe that it will one day come to fruition.
The short-term goal, which I'm working on behind the scenes, is to connect the many trans-rights groups across the nation into a solid national coalition. Many of the organizations I've been in contact with have heard of Jennifer's story and are ready and eager to help. Long-term, this will become a support network that will exist in all fifty states to offer support and counseling to trans youth specifically but trans rights more broadly.
What happened to Jennifer when she died is not an isolated incident. It is but a symptom of the disease we carry as a nation and must cure together.
I will not stop until Jennifer's name is written in stone. I will not stop until her name becomes synonymous with the dignity that every single one of us deserve.
Once again, I'll close with a few words from Jennifer:
Why do people wait until tragedy strikes to realize that kindness, compassion, and connection with people, no matter WHAT they've done or who they are... is all far more important than every other petty thing?
Jennifer Gable, September 29th, 2014