"She Would Have Wanted Change" - Brianna Ghey And All Trans People Deserve Dignity
Brianna Ghey was a transgender girl taken from us way too soon. Her death has sparked public statements and a call for change from her friends.
On February 12, a young transgender woman named Brianna Ghey had her life taken at just 16 years old in England. As details emerged about her death and two teenagers were arrested on suspicion of her murder, stories about her life began to emerge. Friends posted tributes on TikTok and her own popular account (which has since been removed) became a makeshift memorial with millions of likes. Her memory has moved the transgender community and our allies. Now her friends are speaking up. In an interview with Vice, one of her friends, Hannah, stated that “If Bri would have wanted anything from her passing, it would be change.” We owe that to her and those she loved.
Brianna did not have an easy childhood and was bullied by members of her school for years because of her gender identity. Transgender people experience extremely high rates of bullying, with over 62% of trans youth reporting it in a recent Trevor Project survey. That did not stop her from radiating kindness to her friends and the rest of the world. Her family said in a statement that she “was a larger-than-life character who would leave a lasting impression on all that met her. Brianna was beautiful, witty, and hilarious. Brianna was strong, fearless, and one of a kind.”
However, because of laws in the United Kingdom, Brianna Ghey will be misgendered on her death certificate. Because she was younger than 18, she was not eligible to receive a gender recognition certificate. A recent measure passed in Scotland would have lowered the minimum age for applicants to 16, making Brianna eligible. This bill was, in a rare occasion, halted by the United Kingdom government. People like J.K. Rowling, Labour leader Keir Starmer, and virtually all of the biggest anti-trans activists in the United Kingdom opposed this legislation, with Kier Starmer stating “16 is too young to change legal gender.” It is because of this that the United Kingdom will do one final injustice to Brianna’s memory:
Now, Brianna’s friends are speaking out. In the Vice interview, Hannah stated, “I pray that her death isn’t meaningless, and for the UK government and society to see the issue and change. We can’t let this happen again.”
Other friends of Brianna’s took to critiquing the press, pointing out that some news outlets deadnamed Brianna or ignored that she was trans. Jade, a friend of Brianna’s, stated that this was “disrespectful to her, especially because police said it was a targeted attack.”
Some members of the transgender activist community have taken to twitter to call for a posthumous death certificate to be issued to Brianna with the correct information, reflecting her in death as she was in life. At the time of this article, hundreds of activists have posted under the #dignityforbrianna hashtag calling for the UK government to take such a move. Dr. Charlotte Proudman, an activist for women’s rights, stated that “She should rest in peace and dignity — and be recognised as a woman on her death certificate. It’s shocking we need to say this.”
Other activists agreed:
She served her transgender community well. Trans youth who called her a friend spoke about the way she inspired them to be themselves. They even mentioned that Brianna would help trans women from small villages all over England. Channah, in the Vice interview, stated, “She’d help younger trans women to safely and legally access hormones, advising them about private doctors, and congratulating them on progress.”
Hormone therapy can be enormously difficult to access, and in the United Kingdom where there is currently a 20 year waiting list, transgender people often have to forego hormones entirely for years. Hormone therapy can be lifesaving for trans youth. Given that Brianna was so active in her local and regional community in advising others on how to get that care, it is likely that she saved lives and improved the mental health of all those around her. Her passing will leave a hole in her community.
Brianna is not the only transgender teen to pass in recent years. As activist Eli Erlick notes, “Just in the U.S., Arianna Michell, Katy Newhouse, and siblings Jeffrey Bright and Jasmine Cannady all lost their lives to violence. Every one of their names should be remembered in the fight to end trans dehumanization.”
In memory of Brianna, transgender people around the United Kingdom have gathered in candlelight vigils. Please take a moment of silence for her, and consider donating to her family’s gofundme.
This news has me heartbroken. Trolls on twitter immediately claimed this wasn’t because of transphobia. Bullying a trans girl seems transphobic to me.
💔💔💔 I can’t process such hate for this beautiful child