Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the cancellation of a planned Tuesday screening of “Two Spirits” at the Sunflower Theatre in Cortez.
The Sunflower Theatre in Cortez has canceled a planned Tuesday screening of documentary “Two Spirits” marking the 25th anniversary of Fred Martinez’s killing at the request of Martinez’s family.
Event host Gail Binkly said Martinez’s mother said to organizers Friday morning she preferred the film not to be shown.
The award-winning documentary was scheduled to be shown Tuesday, 25 years to the day since the killing of Martinez, who was a nádleehí youth, a male-bodied person who expresses a feminine nature or fluid gender roles.
In Navajo culture, nádleehí individuals are deeply rooted in spiritual and cultural beliefs and historically held respected places within society for their unique perspective.
“The evening is to commemorate the life of Fred Martinez, reminding people what happened here 25 years ago and the tragedy it was,” Binkly, a KSJD Radio journalist, had said Thursday.
Martinez was one of the youngest victims of a LGBTQ+ hate crime on record in modern history.
"Two Spirits“ follows understandings of gender and identity in the Navajo culture, as well as how Martinez’s story and killing has lasting significance to Cortez, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ communities.
A judge in 2002 sentenced Shaun Murphy to 40 years in a Colorado prison after the then-18-year-old beat Martinez to death with what was believed to be a rock. Murphy was released in September 2019 after serving 17 years.
Binkly served as the Journal’s manager editor at the time of the 16-year-old’s murder. Initially, many people did not know Martinez was Two-Spirit, she said.
Binkly said coverage by Journal reporters Aspen Emmett-McCarthy and others uncovered that aspect of his identity through interviews with classmates and community members.
Emmett-McCarthy, who planned to attend Tuesday evening, first brought the murder to the public’s attention after it was discovered June 16, 2001. She took the lead to report the case’s subsequent court proceedings through its plea and sentencing phases.
“There was a lot of community discussion at the time. For anyone who hasn’t seen the film, I think they’d appreciate it,” Binkly said. “Fred’s mother is in it, and some people who were closely involved during the aftermath, and those coming to support the LGBTQ+ community.”
Cortez native Russell Martin co-wrote and produced the 2009 film, along with director Lydia Nibley. Martin has written, produced and directed three documentaries and authored three novels and several nonfiction books, including international bestsellers “Beethoven’s Hair” and “Picasso’s War.” Martin, Emmett-McCarthy and a few others were special guests set to host a question-and-answer forum for any audience members with questions following the film.
Craig Benally, who portrays Martinez in “Two Spirits,” was a part of the panel. He is Diné, raised in Cortez and now resides in Mancos.
Matt Keefauver, a retired local educator, was another panel member. He moved to Cortez a year after the killing but said the tragedy was a huge topic of discussion for children at school.
awatson@the-journal.com
