The Fred Martinez Project, PFLAG Chapters in Colorado, and other friends of the film have raised funds to provide a headstone for the grave of Fred Martinez. Fred’s mother visits with such regularity that two depressions can be seen where she kneels to talk to him in Navajo and English. She leaves gifts for Fred, including the plastic key chains he liked to collect, one of which reads, Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful.
Fred’s grave has been identified with a small metal marker that was intended to be temporary from the time he was buried in 2001. It has been a dream of Fred’s family to honor his memory and bring dignity to his final resting place, and his brothers and mother had sketched the design they imagined for the headstone years ago. At the TWO SPIRITS premiere at the Denver International Film Festival, Tim Wilson and other PFLAG volunteers raised the remaining funds needed to provide a beautiful granite headstone for Fred’s grave. When the gravestone is installed, a ceremony honoring Fred will be held with family, friends, and the activists who assisted his family after his death in attendance.
Thanks to those who supported this special project including: The Matthew Shepard Foundation, Colorado Coalition of PFLAG Chapters, Marilyn K. Davis, Tim Wilson, Kathy Glass & Carmah Lawler, Sandhya Luther, and the anonymous donors who responded when the hat was passed at the premiere. The contributions totaled just over the amount needed for the gravestone and will provide flowers and food for the graveside ceremony.
Two Spirits is an education and public awareness tool that explores issues of gender variance and fluidity; the prevalence of harassment and violence towards LGBT youth; and the history and contemporary experience of Native two-spirit people—an often-overlooked community within the LGBT spectrum. Your contribution to the education and outreach work of The Fred Martinez Project will help expand the reach of the film through a wide network of organizations, activists, scholars, community organizers, and allies who can make use of the project in their programs.
