Nikki Araguz Loyd (June 4, 1975 – November 6, 2019) was an American
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
activist, author, and public speaker.
[Nash, Tammye (Nov 7, 2019)]
Trans activist Nikki Araguz Loyd has died.
''Dallas Voice
''Dallas Voice'' is a weekly LGBT-focused newspaper based in Dallas, Texas. The paper was founded in 1984. It is published by the Voice Publishing Company, Inc. ''
Work and marriages
Loyd's media background and several years in advertising led to publishing ''Wharton County Living'' magazine.
Loyd was married three times
* Emilio Mata (m. 1995-div. 2007)
[Van Meter, William (August 6, 2011)]
Nikki Araguz vs. The State.
''Out
Out may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956
* ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander
* ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...
''
* Captain Thomas Trevino Araguz III (m. 2008-Dec. 2010)
* William Loyd (m. 2013)
Nikki lived in Houston and as of 2013 was remarried to William Loyd, and with him ran an art gallery.
Death of second husband and legal fight
Married on August 23, 2008, Nikki and Thomas Araguz lived in
Wharton, Texas
Wharton is a city in and the county seat of Wharton County, Texas, Wharton County, Texas, United States. This city is southwest of Houston. The population was 8,832 at the 2010 census and 8,627 at the 2020 census. Wharton is located on the Colora ...
, with Thomas' two sons from a prior marriage. Thomas attended classes at
Wharton County Junior College
Wharton County Junior College (WCJC) is a public community college with its main campus in Wharton, Texas. The college also has campuses in Richmond, Sugar Land, and Bay City. WCJC is accredited by the Southern Association of College ...
and earned certifications in the Police Academy, Fire Academy and was an EMT. Nikki worked as a Sales Executive and Sales Manager for a Houston GLBT magazine. Thomas served Wharton as a volunteer firefighter, and after marrying Nikki, became a Sheriff's Deputy and completed courses required for paid firefighters.
On July 3, 2010, Captain Araguz answered the call to fight a fire at an egg plant in
Boling, Texas
Boling is a census-designated place (CDP) in Wharton County, Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 2 ...
and went missing for several hours. At the time of the fire Nikki was on a business trip and was not made aware he was missing. Nikki learned of Thomas's death from a posting on a social networking site by another fireman's wife. Upon her return to Wharton, Nikki's in-laws prevented her from seeing her stepchildren.
The morning after Thomas's burial, Nikki learned that two separate lawsuits had been filed by his family in an attempt to take away her benefits as a firefighter's spouse, though Thomas had specifically named her as beneficiary in one instance. Thomas's family claimed that since Araguz was "born a man", she was not female at the time of her marriage to Thomas and that the marriage should be invalidated. On May 26, 2011, State District Judge Randy Clapp ruled in favor of Thomas's family and nullified the marriage.
Araguz's widow's benefits were withheld during litigation until a final outcome. She appealed unsuccessfully in court on November 14, 2011, hoping to have Judge Clapp's ruling overturned. On January 25, 2012, Araguz pleaded guilty to stealing a Rolex watch from a woman and was sentenced to 50 days in jail.
In February 2014, the 13th Texas Court of Appeals ruled that Araguz would get another chance to litigate the case in a state district courtroom.
Specifically, the appellate court voided the state district court judge's summary judgment in favor of Thomas Araguz's parents and ordered the case returned to the original courtroom for further litigation.
In 2015, a state appeals court ruling by the 13th Texas Court of Appeals sent the case of Araguz back to the Wharton County judge who originally voided the marriage because Texas did not recognize same-sex marriage. Later in 2015, a state district judge in Texas ruled that Araguz was legally married to Thomas Araguz at the time of his death in 2010.
Later life and death
Nikki remained active in the fight for same-sex marriage until her death, aged 44, at home in
Humble, Texas
Humble ( ) is a city located in the Houston metropolitan area. Humble became an oil boomtown in the early 20th century when oil was first discovered there in 1904. By 1905, the Humble oilfield was the largest producing oilfield in Texas. Humble ...
on November 6, 2019. Her husband William Loyd announced her death.
[ According to the medical examiner, she died of an accidental drug overdose.] Her memorial was attended by hundreds of people and featured displays of some of her intricate clothing.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Araguz, Nikki
LGBT people from Texas
LGBT rights activists from the United States
Transgender law in the United States
Transgender marriage
1975 births
2019 deaths