Hundreds gather at funeral to pay tribute to trans teen Brianna Ghey

Tributes poured in on social media as mourners at the funeral paid their respects to Brianna Ghey and her family and friends.

Top News . Written by Beatrice Fanucci.

Photo of Brianna Ghey, whose funeral took place today, smiling at the camera.
Image: Via Twitter - @lowe_danni

Today, March 15, people gathered at St Elphin’s Parish Church in Warrington for the funeral of Brianna Ghey, the 16-year-old trans girl who was murdered in England.

Huge crowds gathered from 2.45 pm, wearing all shades of pink to pay tribute to the teenager, as requested by the family, who said it was their daughter’s favourite colour. A white carriage carried Brianna’s pink coffin in front of the church while a rendition of Lana Del Rey’s ‘Video Games’ was playing.

 

Alongside the in-person service, a tribute website was set up to honour Brianna Ghey, with the family requesting that funeral attendees donate to the Mindfulness in School Project as opposed to purchasing flowers. The charity works to “improve the lives of a generation of children and young people by making a genuine, positive difference to their mental health and wellbeing”.

The Ghey family shared their request with the following message: “I believe that our children are struggling with their mental health more than ever. I hope that by supporting organisations such as MiSP, we can help children live healthy fulfilled lives. Brianna struggled with her mental health, and I wish that there were better resources to support her when she needed it.”

 

Tributes have poured in on social media from the whole community, with people paying their respect to Brianna and her family. “Dearly, I hope that her family sees justice served, and that this country sees the light and understands why we must cherish and protect trans youth,” wrote one Twitter user.

 

https://twitter.com/LaurenM0ss/status/1636031533915033603?s=20

“White horses with pink plumes leading a white carriage with a pink coffin containing the body of a 16-year-old girl. Utterly dreadful. I hope Brianna Ghey and her family find peace. I hope our country finds understanding,” another person commented.

 

Adding to the tributes, another posted, “I have a heavy heart today thinking of Brianna Ghey and her friends and family on this incredibly sad day that they lay her to rest.”

 

Brianna Ghey was found dead in the afternoon of February 11 in Linear Park, in England, where her body was discovered with multiple stab wounds. Two local teens were arrested in connection with the murder on Monday and have been in police custody since then. Two suspects have been charged with murder and the trial date has been set to July 10, 2023.

After news of Brianna’s death broke, people attended candlelight vigils in her memory across the UK. The LGBTQ+ community in Ireland also organised events in several cities and towns, turning out in huge numbers carrying photos of the teenager and trans flags to show solidarity with all those affected.

© 2023 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

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