Brianna Ghey’s Murderers Have Received Life Sentences — Is That Justice?

Feature image from a vigil for Brianna Ghey by Christopher Furlong via Getty Images

Last week, British publications like The Telegraph and BBC and American publications like The New York Times reported on the life sentences of the two cis teenagers who murdered trans teenager Brianna Ghey.

They wrote about how the cis girl was motivated by a fascination with murder and the cis boy was motivated by transphobia. They wrote about how Ghey was eager for friendship and trusted these kids who used her for their bigotries and fantasies.

As I read about the incarceration of these two teenagers, I thought about Gwénola Ricordeau’s Free Them All: A Feminist Call to Abolish the Justice System. I specifically thought of when she wrote: “I do not wish to turn the non-use of the criminal justice system into a matter of principle.”

She goes on to explain that to critique individuals for utilizing the criminal justice system in the absence of alternatives is to prioritize theory over practice. “The criminal system is, in my view, a collective failure, which must be grasped in order to reflect on collective solutions,” she writes.

My internal conflict over the incarceration of these teenagers was a theoretical dilemma. I hope it brings Ghey’s family peace. I fear the violence these individuals will cause toward other incarcerated individuals. I know there is no effective “solution” given the current limitations of the UK justice system and our cultures’ views on justice in general.

But more than anything I feel the futility. The murder has already occurred. No punishment of her murderers will bring Brianna Ghey back. And if the primary goal for incarceration is to prevent future violence, there are greater culprits to fear.

It’s possible — nay, essential — to mourn the death of Brianna Ghey while also acknowledging that most violence against trans teenagers occurs under different circumstances. Most trans teenagers who face violence do so after being kicked out of their homes or within abusive homes; most trans teenagers who are killed die by suicide. This case is unique. It holds within its narrative the type of violence that draws people toward serial killer stories. It’s a violence fetishized by the same media that perpetuates those other types of violence experienced by trans youth every day.

This past weekend, the weekend after Ghey’s murderers were convicted, The New York Times published its latest anti-trans op-ed. “As Kids, They Thought They Were Trans. They No Longer Do.” by Pamela Paul follows the usual beats of this kind of piece already found in The New York Times. There’s a suggestion that this is an issue with two reasonable sides, “false” transitions are framed as an epidemic, and the care needed to keep trans kids alive is questioned. Similar articles are regularly published in UK press. Articles from The New York Times have been cited as Republican politicians introduce anti-trans legislation.

While a line can be drawn between this culture of transphobia and the killing of Brianna Ghey, I’m hesitant to directly blame anyone other than the two teenagers who carried out this violent act. But it’s worth questioning why, as a society, we prioritize punishing individuals over changing the beliefs that lead to crime. Even after these two individuals are incarcerated, the primary issue remains the anti-trans rhetoric and anti-trans laws that propagate isolated extreme acts of violence such as this one and day-to-day suffering that can lead to suicide.

The truest form of justice is prevention. Once a child has been killed — by someone else or by themself — any justice will always be insufficient.

We won’t ever be able to erase all violence or all bigotry, but we can look to who holds the most power and who creates the most harm. This is the collective justice work that must occur. I believe we must build a society that creates alternatives to incarceration in response to violent crimes. But I also believe conversations about what to do after these acts occur can pull focus from their causes and the causes of suffering pervasive in our societies.

Brianna Ghey should still be alive. The press that reported on her murder should stop villainizing the trans kids who are still here. Future generations of trans kids shouldn’t have to face this same cruelty. Brianna Ghey should still be alive. That would be the only justice. Brianna Ghey should still be alive.