A vigil will be held on Saturday, August 9 in honor of Angie Zapata, 18, who was murdered last month in Greeley. The event is being organized to remember Angie and provide a way for those close to her to celebrate her life. The general public is invited to attend to hear from a wide array of speakers including Angie's family, national transgender activist Donna Rose, and members of other organizations and community groups. The vigil will be held August 9 from 7-9 p.m. at the Garden Theater at the University of Northern Colorado. For more details call the Lambda Community Center at 970221-3247.Angie Zapata, a young transgender Latina woman, was slain in her Greeley apartment on July 16. Her sister found her body July 17. On July 30, Greeley police arrested Allen Ray Andrade for Angie's murder after they traced Angie's stolen car to him. According to police reports, the two had met on a social networking site and they were on a date when Andrade attacked Angie with a fire extinguisher after discovering she was a transgender woman. On July 31, Andrade was charged with first-degree murder and bias-motivated crime.
"It seemed apparent from the information provided to the public that the factual scenario surrounding the vicious murder of Angie Zapata fell clearly within the language of Colorado's bias-motivated crime statute," said Mindy Barton, Legal Director at The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of Colorado.
Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia have hate or bias crime laws based on sexual orientation and twelve of those, including the District of Columbia, include protections based on gender identity.
The Colorado legislature amended the "Bias Motivated Crime" law to include "sexual orientation" in 2005. The term "sexual orientation" specifically includes transgender status.
"He didn't see Angie as a person," said Crystal Middlestadt, director of Training and Education for the Colorado Anti-Violence Program. "To treat a vibrant and beautiful human being like this is monstrous."
"The Greeley community along with many others in Colorado are pulling together to send a clear, strong message that this kind of outrageous violence will not be tolerated here. Murder of any kind is wrong," stated Nicole Hurt, Northern Colorado Community Organizer for the Colorado Progressive Coalition. "Murdering someone simply because that person is different is devastating. We are saddened and angry that this type of hate exists in our community. Angie was only 18 years old. She had a bright future ahead of her and was torn down before she ever got to live it. She was far too young die."
