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Marilyn Augustine Hendren, a 51 year old Native HIV+ Trans Woman, Died in Tulsa. No One Has Claimed Her Body. — Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents
Marilyn Augustine Hendren was born in Keams Canyon, Arizona in May 1972. She attended Tecumseh High School. Marilyn described herself on Facebook as “gay Native American and HIV + for 23 yrs.” She lived in Albuquerque and then Tulsa. It is believed she was a registered member of the Navajo Nation per a document found on her Facebook profile.
Marilyn was pronounced deceased at local Tulsa hospital January 20, 2023. She was brought to the ER where she died. There has been no information on the cause of her death, but it does not appear to be violent.
According to researchers, Marilyn was adopted at birth and was alienated from them after she came out Native leaders have been informed of her unclaimed status, but made no move yet to claim her body.
Sources claim Marilyn was adopted from her the Navajo Nation into a Hispanic/white family who rejected her when she came out as gay and then transgender. Marilyn was often homeless and struggled to survive. But that’s not the story you see on Facebook and other social media feeds. Instead she shares her style and movie icons, posts about Pride events, and interacts with her friends.
