- Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old trans girl, was stabbed to death in England on Saturday.
- Due to the UK's gender recognition laws, her death certificate will likely misgender her.
The death of Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old trans girl from England, who was stabbed to death in a park on Saturday, is a tragedy in itself.
But trans activists say that the murdered teenager being misgendered on her death certificate, as is expected, only serves to make the devastating situation worse.
Police said Ghey's killing was a targeted attack, initially stopping short of calling it "hate-related." But on Tuesday they updated their position, saying that all lines of inquiry, including whether the murder was a hate crime, are being explored.
Two teenagers, both 15, are being questioned on suspicion of murder, Sky News reported.
According to reports, Ghey had socially transitioned a number of months before her death, and had been on the receiving end of transphobic abuse for years.
But due to Ghey's age and the British legal process for officially changing one's gender, it is expected that her sex will automatically be recorded as male on her death certificate.
In the UK, a person needs to be 18, diagnosed with gender dysphoria, and have been living in their affirmed gender for at least two years in order to get a Gender Recognition Certificate.
The certificate, which updates a person's birth certificate, also ensures they have the correct gender marker on their death certificate.
Ghey, who was only 16, would not have met the requirements set out by the UK government.
That Ghey is likely to be misgendered on her death certificate has sparked fury among LGBTQ activists, with several telling Insider that it is an indignity for her, and a reflection of draconian laws.
"She's not even going to be afforded basic dignity in her death," said Katy Montgomerie, a feminist and trans activist, during a call with Insider.
"Every trans child who dies is forced to go through this, which is pointlessly cruel," she added.
India Willoughby, a television host and trans activist, said that it is a matter of "dignity," before adding that the situation highlights the inadequacy of the UK's Gender Recognition Act.
"This has absolutely nothing to do with using toilets or changing rooms," she told Insider. "It's purely about changing an M to an F, or an F to an M, on a piece of paper, so you can marry or die as your true self."
In 2020, a UK government public consultation showed widespread support for reform, with many respondents calling for the application process to be opened to minors. But the government dropped its plans to reform the act in late 2020, a move condemned by LGBTQ charities.
"When politicians and the powers that be start to compile reasons as to why accessing a Gender Recognition Certificate is so important for trans people, this [Ghey's death] might be an example to them to hopefully show the gravity of why it's so important," Shivani Dave, a nonbinary broadcaster who covers trans issues, told Insider.
Robbie De Santos, Director of Communications and External Affairs at LGBTQ rights organization Stonewall, was more blunt. "Trans people deserve dignity in life and in death," he said.