On the 11th of February 2023, Brianna Ghey, a 16 year old transgender girl was found murdered with multiple stab wounds on her person. This has led to an uproar from the LGBTQIA+ community, multiple vigils and a call to protect transgender children. Briana Ghey was described by her family as someone with “a larger-than-life character who would leave a lasting impression on all that met her ” and she has been described by many as a “lovely girl”. Her friends had also mentioned that long before her murder Brianna had been the victim of bullying and harassment surrounding her gender identity, they mentioned that despite this she was known to help younger trans girls safely and legally access hormone replacement therapy.
After her Murder a go fund me was set up to help her family which currently has raised 112,507 pounds. There have also been multiple vigils in both the UK and Ireland where many have shown support to the grieving family as well as call for justice for Briana’s murder. Many members of the Trans community came forward with support but also with stories that are scarily similar to Brianna’s detailing transphobic harassment and bullying that they too have suffered over the years. Celebrities such as Yungblud have also tweeted out in support and calling for the protection of trans children.
The tragedy of Brianna Ghey’s death is how common it is. In 2022 the Human Right Campaign recorded that at least 38 transgender people were fatally shot or killed by other violent means and according to the Guardian “Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows more than one in four trans people (28%) experienced crime in the year ending March 2020, compared with 14% of people whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were registered at birth.” Meaning that in England and Wales trans people are twice as likely to be victims of crime than Cis-gendred people. Which is not su[prising with common transphobia is in the Uk with people like JK Rowling championing harmful transphobic rhetoric against specifically transwomen painting them as dangerous predators. Before the murder even occurred the Uk parliament blocked a bill that would have allowed trans people in Scotland to change their legal gender without a medical diagnosis.
Brianna Ghey murderers have been arrested and will be in court. But he murder shows how unprotected transgender especially women and young girl continue to be unprotected by both the society and the government hopefully what we can take from her death is that there reason for any more innocent trans people to die and we as a community need to work harder in ensuring their protection and giving to those who are still with us.