Last night, Jennifer Gale reportedly sang “Silent Night†at a city subcommittee meeting in Austin. It was not unusual behavior for Gale, who frequently attended municipal meetings, often presenting arguments in song.
This morning, Gale, a homeless transgender woman who ran for Dallas mayor in 2007, was found dead outside a church where she’d been staying in the state capital.
Gale was a perennnial political candidate who planned to run for Austin mayor next year. When she ran for Dallas mayor in 2007, Gale captured 554 votes, less than 1 percent. In the past Gale had also run for governor and Congress.
Gale’s body was found in front of the First English Lutheran Church in the 3000 block of Whitis Avenue, just north of the UT campus. Her cause of death is unknown.
Read more at WFAA-TV or Statesman.com.
This story is so heartbreaking. I have so much respect for the Transgender community. Jennifer is example of someone who always stood tall in the face of extreme adversity, and did so with a smile. I hope she is remembered with the admiration she deserves.
May you rest in peace Jennifer. Many of the comments on the wffa.com website were digusting in regards to this story. It’s no secret that Jennifer had some problems, however we must all remember that she was a human being first and a person who wanted to see change in the world and she worked for that change the best she could. One other thing we must never forget is that she was a marine at one time and protected every citizen of this country and for that I’m very thankful. May we learn a lesson from her that all people are NOT created equal in this country, until all people are treated the same. Rest in peace Jennifer and thanks for the work you did trying to make this country and world a better place to live.
(UCAGHC) Equality Texas that is only part of the problem that caused her death. This is a tragedy we allow to happen in the gay community and one of the main reasons why the GLBT community need to bring our forces together and become a stronger voice and protect our own.
To die without dignity outside on the ground like that for someone who has been working a big part of her life trying to help others in the society and gain equality for people like her. We really need to take a look@US, Jenifer Gale I am so sorry we did not help you enough in Texas. United Community against Gay Hate is willing to bridge the gap in the community we live in and within the gay community of Dallas.
There is much work ahead and in 2009 we are looking forward to creating forums to address the division in the gay community that most of us don’t want to talk about. It’s time for us to create new dialog about issues in the transgender community before we allow this to happen in our city.
There are no laws in Texas protecting transgender people, whether from job discrimination, housing discrimination or hate crimes.
Thanks Jack E., I’m grateful that you stand up for us in the trans community. All of you here…
We really do need the support of the larger GLB community.
Renee
I was at the service on Sunday with Kelli Busey (Transgender Advocate) and I seen a community that is not to different from ours. Jennifer’s death is teaching us a very important lesson, let us not miss the meaning of a very important issue that we need to address in our GLBT community of Dallas.
https://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/?SecID=278&ArID=227266