Even before Brianna’s death, my community felt exhausted and more vulnerable than before (Picture: NIKLAS HALLE’N/AFP via Getty Images)
Last night, I attended a vigil for a 16-year-old trans girl named Brianna Ghey, who was killed in a public park in a village in Cheshire last Saturday.
Tributes are being held across the country to remember a young girl whose life was cut short in a shocking and violent way.
Remembering Brianna, her family described a ‘larger than life character who left a lasting impression on anyone that met her’, and said her death has left a ‘massive hole’ in their lives.
I was shocked when I heard the news – and immediately my heart sank. It is now officially being investigated as a possible hate crime.
Regardless of whether it is, this killing has left myself, fellow trans people, and the wider LGBT+ community distressed, and scared.
Frankly, we are worried about walking the streets, terrified a violent crime could happen to us, or those close to us.
This has been compounded by seeing the horrendous way the news of Brianna’s death has been reacted to online. I’ve seen gender critical Twitter users refer to her as a ‘boy’, taking more umbridge with her being female than with the fact she was killed.
Even after such a shocking crime, there are still those who won’t respect her dignity and gender identity
Sadly, I am unsurprised given how toxic the ‘debate’ about our lives has become.
For the past few years I’ve watched the UK become embroiled in shouting matches about trans issues – from bathrooms, to shelters, to prisons and to the Gender Recognition Act
Even before Brianna’s death, my community felt exhausted and more vulnerable than before.
This crime has added to that exhaustion, and some of the media coverage has made things worse.
Some outlets included Brianna’s old name in their reports, and avoided references to her being a girl.
It had no relevance to the story and uses of her deadname are, in my mind, incredibly disrespectful.
It appears likely that Brianna will not be recorded in the right gender on her death certificate (Picture: Leon McGowran)
Being deadnamed (people using your old name) and misgendered can be incredibly distressing, as names and pronouns are some of the fundamental parts of who trans people are and how we want to be referred to.
Even after her death, Brianna couldn’t escape these aggressions.
It was particularly shocking given that Brianna was living fully as herself and was supported by her family and friends.
Social media reactions have also been grim, with Brianna routinely being misgendered, and people showing no respect to her or her family, even after her passing. It has absolutely horrified me to see this online over the past few days.
Brianna certainly wasn’t too young to know who she was, but what we all know is that she was far too young to die.
It’s so unfair that she won’t be respected as who she was – even in legal documents.
Tributes are being held across the country to remember a young girl whose life was cut short in a shocking and violent way (Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
It appears likely that Brianna will not be recorded in the right gender on her death certificate, as in the UK you cannot apply for what is called a gender recognition certificate until you are 18 – and that document allows you to change your birth certificate.
That UK law is not fit for purpose, and there needs to be a serious overhaul of how trans people can change their ID and documents to accurately reflect who they are.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
There are countries all across Europe that have made it possible for people of all ages to have their ID documents changed to reflect who they are – exactly to avoid circumstances like this one.
Unlike my trans friends and family here in the UK, being Icelandic, I don’t have to worry about being inaccurately recorded if I were to pass away, but I know for people around me that this is a real worry – which has been highlighted even more after Brianna’s case.
Her death should serve as a wake-up call for everyone – in particular for politicians and policy makers.
When we’re talking about the trans issue, we are talking about real people like Brianna. She was a 16-year-old girl that had everything ahead of her, whose life has now been cut short. It’s tragic beyond words, and I send my deepest condolences to her family.
Even after such a shocking crime, there are still those who won’t respect her dignity and gender identity. It’s appalling, and shows just how far we still have to go to create a fair, just and free society for everyone, where we can be ourselves without persecution and stigma.
Until trans people in the UK can feel safe knowing that they will be protected and recognised fully, we will never truly give people like Brianna Ghey the respect and dignity they deserve, in life, or in death.
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Brianna certainly wasn’t too young to know who she was, but what we all know is that she was far too young to die.
