A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story
| A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story |
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Official poster
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| Written by | Shelley Evans |
| Directed by | Agnieszka Holland |
| Starring |
J. D. Pardo Mercedes Ruehl |
| Theme music composer | Jan A.P. Kaczmarek |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Fran Rosati |
| Cinematography | David Frazee |
| Editor(s) | Michael John Bateman |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | Lifetime Television |
| Original release |
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A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story is a 2006 LGBT biography television film directed by Agnieszka Holland and starring J. D. Pardo, Mercedes Ruehl, and Avan Jogia. It premiered on Lifetime Television in the U.S. on June 19, 2006. The film dramatizes the events surrounding the 2002 murder of Gwen Araujo, a transgender teenager who was murdered after acquaintances discovered that she had male genitalia.
In 2007, the film won the GLAAD Media Award in the "Outstanding Movie for Television" category at the 18th GLAAD Media Awards.
Sylvia Guerrero is a young single mother, looking to make a fresh start for her three young children. Having escaped an abusive relationship at the hands of the children’s father, Sylvia has moved back home to California to live closer to her tight-knit Latin American family. Her father’s birthday party is the first big family gathering since her return, and when she arrives, she encounters mixed reactions about her decision to leave her husband. After dinner, the children at the party decide to play a prank by putting Sylvia’s son Eddie in a frilly pink dress. As Eddie and the other children stand smiling, the adults at the party appear unamused and some look on with disdain.
The film alternates between the family’s story and the future trial of two men charged with Gwen’s murder. As the prosecutor’s witness, a medical examiner testifies that the victim was beaten, strangled, wrapped in a shower curtain, and dumped in the woods. When asked about the victim’s gender, she states, “it was that of a normally developed male”.
After the party, Sylvia’s sister confronts her about the incident with the dress. Sylvia denies that it is an issue and tells her that Eddie is the best-behaved of all her children. Sylvia says that she is more worried about finding a job to support her children than she is about the fact that Eddie is a little bit different from other seven-year old boys. Several days later, Sylvia comes home to celebrate her success at getting a job, and finds Eddie wearing a bra and makeup. Her older daughter Chita insists that it is just a game, but Sylvia makes Eddie promise that it won’t happen again.
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