By Ashish Shrestha
On the 11th of February, 16 year-old teenager Brianna Ghey was murdered. A week later, we’ve seen the support and we’ve seen the disrespect. A young woman has become a symbol for a community that’s long been oppressed.
A 15-year-old girl from Warrington and a 15-year-old boy from Leigh have been charged with the murder of Brianna Ghey. Whether they are guilty and the motive for the crime are still unclear.
The case has brought to light an ugly side of journalism. The Daily Mail and The Times have deadnamed her. Deadnaming is when someone calls a transgender person who has changed their name by their birthname.
“Brianna was born as B**** but had been living as a girl for several months, according to the daily mail” said a Times article. Something that was seen as an inexcusable and abhorrent act.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/brianna-ghey-16-fatally-stabbed-in-warrington-park-fqn6p6tp5.
On the brighter side, over £100,000 has been raised for her funeral. Her family set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs, the target of £4,126 was quickly surpassed with over 6 thousand donations. You can find the fundraiser here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/brianna-ghey
Vigils have been held all over Ireland and the UK. There has been an outpouring of support for Ghey’s family and for the trans community itself. An estimated over 300 people attended the vigil in Glasgow’s George Square.