Newark Memorial High School in Newark, CA, had been planning a production of "The Laramie Project," a play echoing the life of a University of Wyoming gay student who was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in 1998. Weeks before the debut of the play, 17-year-old transgender teen Gwen Araujo was brutally murdered at a party on Oct. 3, 2002. Araujo's body was found two weeks later in a shallow grave in the Sierra foothills. On opening night, anti-gay protestors organized by the "Reverend" Fred Phelps demonstrated against the performance. To counter their protest, dozens of community members dressed as angels participated in a candlelight vigil to honor the memory of both teens. Read more about the story or excerpts of interviews with the cast.

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