Trans Woman Misgendered At Her Own Funeral

jennifer gable trans woman

Jennifer Gable, a trans woman and customer service coordinator, died suddenly on October 9 and was misgendered in her open casket as a man.

 

Jennifer Gable, 32, tragically passed away last month after suffering a sudden brain aneurysm while at her work place in Twin Falls, Idaho. Survived by her family, Gable’s funeral was organised by her father, who erased her identity as a woman and made the decision to bury her as her previous identity, Geoff. With her hair cut short, and dressed in a suit, friends say they were shocked at her unrecognisable image.

Gable’s friend, Stacy Dee Hudson, posted to Facebook and shared her outrage at her friend’s treatment.
 

“I am disgusted. A great and dear friend’s mom went to the funeral today. It was not closed casket. They cut her hair, suit on. How can they bury her as geoff [sic] when she legally changed her name. So very sad. Jen you will be missed and people who know you know that you are at peace.”

 

Gable began her transition over a decade ago and had been living as a woman ever since, despite this, there was no mention of her female identity.
Her online obituary read:
 

Geoffrey Charles Gable, 32, Boise, passed away suddenly on October 9, 2014 while at his job at Wells Fargo Bank.

He was born in Twin Falls on January 27, 1982 to Anthony Clark Gable and Lori Ann Walton.

Geoff and his brother, Steven, were raised from toddlers by their maternal grandparents, George and Joan Walton.

He attended Morningside Elementary School, O’Leary Junior High and graduated from Twin Falls High School in the year 2000.

He was married to Ann Arthurs in 2005 in Hawaii. They were later divorced.

Geoff grew up as a member of the Twin Falls First Christian Church, where he was baptised in 1996.

 
Meghan Stabler of the Human Rights Campaign told the Miami Herald newspaper, “No mention of the woman she knew she was and had lived as for several years. Just erosion of her identity and an old photograph of how the father perceived her to be. […] I only knew her online. She reached out to me a couple of years ago when she was in transition.”

 

Stabler added that Gable’s death “stresses the importance of having a will.”

© 2014 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

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