Lou Ellen “Lou Lou” Couch was a street friend of Justin Reed Early, the author of Street Child: A Memoir, the poignant autobiographical tale of homeless children’s real-life experiences on the streets of Seattle in the 1980’s. Lou Lou is also a character in this book. She was murdered in a street fight while protecting her girlfriend in December, 1985.
Lou Lou left home at 14 and lived on Seattle’s streets until she died at 21. She was stabbed in the heart as three men taunted her with homophobic slurs while she tried to protect her homeless girlfriend. Lou Lou’s family has not been able to afford a headstone for her since her death. Her old grave is marked by a 4×4-inch cement slab with her initials and a worn-off lot number.
On December 12, together with Lou Lou’s brother, Frankie, Justin Reed Early will honor Lou Lou’s legacy by unveiling a new headstone at her grave at Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery in Seattle on the 29th anniversary of her death.
“Lou Lou is an unsung, massive LGBT hero,” said Justin Reed Early. “She died very young after living a very ‘out’ and authentic life — always protecting others, especially if they were vulnerable.”
Many of the children in Street Child were featured in the 1984 Academy Award nominated documentary Streetwise, which portrays the lives of nine desperate homeless teenagers, including Lou Lou and Justin. Additionally, in the third season of AMC television series The Killing, Lou Lou was the inspiration for the character Bullet, who is one of the street kid characters on the show.
As a leading advocate on the issue of LGBT youth homelessness, Early believes Street Child is a journey no child should ever have to endure.
“This grassroots book project, Street Child: A Memoir
WHO/WHAT: Author Justin Reed Early and friends to honor unsung LGBT hero, Lou Ellen “Lou Lou” Couch on the 29th Anniversary of her death; new headstone will be unveiled at her grave.
WHEN: Friday, December 12, 3 PM
WHERE: Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery, 11111 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA, Section 10, Plot 3.
WHY: “By remembering my lost friend Lou Lou, I hope to make people pay more attention to homeless LGBT youth,” said Justin Reed Early. “I want to cultivate hope and bring new life to my childhood friends as well as other LGBT youth on the street.”
