I was watching a docudrama about Eddie Araujo, many people called him Gwen and knew him for dressing as a woman. He stated that he had “gender confusion” and it wasn’t until I watched the docudrama that I realized why. Some called him ”transgendered” but after researching and watching the docudrama I have come to a different conclusion, I believe he suffered from psychological abuse.

From watching the docudrama I came to realize his confusion started when he was about seven (though many would argue it began in his teens.) It started out with his sister dressing him up in her dress. I believe this was the catalyst for his confusion,because instead of getting him counseling early on nobody thought anything of it.

I believe by their verbal comments, and by early actions in childhood,they left Eddie with unresolved issues. The fact that his father wasn’t there didn’t help either. I believe that unrecognized traumas early in life explain his confusion.

Eddie was killed by three men when they found out he was male, his death was brutal and cold. Nobody deserves to be murdered. I believe that if his family had known of his confusion earlier, they could have gotten him help. People kept saying he was “born in the wrong body” which only added to the confusion of a young man already in a fragile state.

I understand that his mother may not have known how to deal with Eddie’s confusion, She did the best she could and loved him,but by allowing him to continue dressing in women’s clothing, she was inadvertently re-enforcing all the issues he was having.

His so called “therapists” did more harm than good by repeatedly saying he was “born in the wrong body.” I know I’ll probably get heat for this but I want to propose a radical idea. That idea is that so-called ”transgendered” behavior is learned.

Psychologists have stated that even subconsciously,people learn. All humans learn from things around us,experiences,people,circumstances. By people repeatedly telling Eddie he was “born in the wrong body” they were re-enforcing and in essence brainwashing him into believing it.

I am saddened by the fact that this young man had to deal with so many conflicts, may he rest in peace