The founder of a transgender based magazine has said that the media’s coverage of Brianna Ghey’s death has “only poured horror into an already nightmarish event”.
Brianna Ghey, 16, from Cheshire, was found dead on 11th February and the news devastated masses of people around the UK- with numerous vigils being held paying respect to the late teen.
Two teenagers have been charged with murder and have appeared in court.
Despite the nationwide outpour of grief, some media outlets have come under fire for ‘dead-naming’ and misgendering Brianna, and being ignorant of her fight against transphobia.
Dorian McHale, 24, founder of Trans magazine ‘Trans muted’ has said, “These outlets have indicated to trans people that even in the darkest of times their pronouns and genders won’t be respected. Trans kids can’t acquire any legal form of gender change under the current laws, and recent reports have only signified to trans kids that they are powerless to determine the circumstances of their untimely death- a right that should be afforded to everyone”.
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In 2022 a study done by The Trevor Project found that 45% LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the last year, nearly one in five transgender youth attempted suicide.
McHale said: “In society we tend to downplay the voices of our youth, but for trans kids this is doubled – they’re told that they’re just going through a phase”.
The study also found that LGBTQ+ youth who live in a community accepting of LGBTQ+ people reported significantly lower rates of attempting suicide than those who do not. But startlingly, less than one in three trans and nonbinary teens found their homes to be gender reaffirming.
“The only people that can help trans youth are the very ones that often normalise, on a societal scale, transphobic ideas: namely information resources, such as news media and popular figures. Media is nothing if not a place for information sharing, this includes the proven importance of respecting trans rights”, they continued
“The lack of coverage on Brianna Ghey’s complaints of transphobic bullying tells trans kids that their complaints won’t be heard.
“The responses to Brianna Ghey’s death are a symptom of a larger problem – that of taking trans voices, lives, seriously.”
McHale expresses fears that the media’s coverage of Brianna may have an effect on young trans suicides.
“In a world where your right to live your life authentically is debated like the colour of a dress, even on the most menial and unproblematic of issues, trying to find value in your life is hard.
“You’re told that you shouldn’t love yourself and respect what brings your own happiness. Why would trans people be expected to love themselves, despite it all, in a world that encourages their hatred?”
A number of news outlets (including the Daily Mail and the Sun) have been contacted for a response
Image from twitter user @emtravelodge