Two 15-year-olds were charged on Wednesday in the murder of a 16-year-old transgender British woman, Brianna Ghey, which has sparked outrage in the LGBT+ community, with hundreds of people gathering in several cities across the country to pay tribute to him.
The body of stabbed Brianna Ghey was found on Saturday in a park in Culchet, near Liverpool in north-west England. A 15-year-old girl and a boy of the same age have been charged, Cheshire Police said on Wednesday. They will appear in court at a later date. Investigators are now investigating whether Brianna Ghey was killed because she was transgender.
“Protect trans youth! »
Fresh rallies were held in several cities across the country by the transgender community on Wednesday, following candlelight vigils in Liverpool and Bristol the day before. In London, dozens of people gathered outside the Ministry of Education at the end of the day.
Videos posted to social media show those in attendance applauding Brianna’s memory and chanting slogans such as “Trans rights are a human right!” “Protect trans youth!” », « Justice for Brianna! ‘ we can read on the signs, some waving while others hold striped flags in the colors of the LGBT+ community.
Hundreds of people also attended vigils in honor of the young girl in Belfast, Brighton, Dublin and Manchester. “There are no words to describe how tragic and deeply painful the senseless death of a young girl like Brianna is,” said Leo Hardie, who attended the Belfast rally and is a member of the Rainbow Project, a LGBT+ rights group.
Lively debates among the British
This killing comes at a time when the issue of transgender people has been at the center of the culture wars in the UK for several years and has been the subject of heated debate.
In a police statement, the victim’s family paid tribute to a “beautiful, funny and hilarious” young girl. “Brianna was strong, fearless and unique,” they added, her disappearance “leaving a huge rift in our family.”
On Monday, many of Brianna’s classmates laid flowers at the entrance to the police-restricted park where her body was found. A fundraiser organized on behalf of his family had raised more than £92,000 (€103,000) on Wednesday.