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When close friends of Jennifer Gable, a woman who died suddenly on 9 October 2014, went to her funeral in Twin Falls, Idaho, they were shocked and upset to find her father had misgendered her. Jennifer was presented as a man, dressed in a suit and with her hair cut short, and was repeatedly called by the name and identity she had left behind before her transition.
According to an article in the Miami Herald, 32-year-old Jennifer died while at work from an aneurysm. She was a customer service representative for Wells Fargo at the time.
Friends of Jennifer spoke of their upset at seeing their friend misgendered and called by her birth name at the funeral and in her obituary – all organised by Jennifer’s father.
‘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 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,’ wrote Stacy Dee Hudson in a post on Facebook.
Her paid online obituary makes no mention of her living as a woman and the headline photo on the obituary is of her before she transitioned. However, photos since submitted for the obituary’s gallery by Jennifer’s friends show eight photos of ‘Jennifer Gable her Real Name and Real Face’.
Meghan Stabler, a board member of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), also spoke with the Miami Herald regarding the obituary.
Meghan clarified she only knew Jennifer online after Jennifer reached out to Meghan when she was transitioning a few years ago. Meghan said Jennifer asked her about her concerns regarding life after transitioning.
While Mike Parke, a representative of the Magic Valley Funeral Home and Crematory in Twin Falls, said Jennifer’s death certificate listed her as male, Meghan claims she did everything legally necessary to legally change her name.
Meghan said, ‘She had done what she needed to do legally to be seen as her authentic self. Her father erased her identity either through ignorance or arrogance. But who knows what the parent was going through?’
