A small crowd turned out to pay respects to a trans teenager who was tragically stabbed to death earlier this month.

Brianna Ghey, from Birchwood in Warrington, Cheshire, was found by members of the public as she lay wounded on a path in Culcheth Linear Park at around 3:13pm on Saturday, February 11.

Two 15-year-olds have since been charged with her murder, and appeared at Liverpool Crown Court via videolink on Thursday (February 16).

READ MORE: Trial date fixed for teenagers charged with murder of Brianna Ghey

Police said they are investigating whether the killing of 16-year-old Brianna, who was a trans girl, was a hate crime.

The vigil was held at the Carlisle Market Cross Monument on February 16 at 6pm.

It was organised by Carlisle trans rights activist Asa Pegler, who planned the vigil to ‘show respect to a life lost from tragedy’.

READ MORE: Vigil in memory of Brianna Ghey

Asa spoke to the small crowd at the monument before they began laying candles: “I did this vigil to remember Brianna.

“We didn’t know her personally, but she was a trans person, a part of my community, and lots of other people here’s community.

“To raise awareness of trans people getting attacked out of the blue is something that we should really focus on.

“Just because she was trans, it is kind of irrelevant, in terms of it was a young life that was lost.

“She had so much ahead of her, and we should all be raising awareness for these innocent people like ourselves who are getting attacked for just being who we are.

“Someone told me online “why don’t you just stop being who you are, and you won’t get attacked?”, even if I tried to I couldn’t, because I’d end it myself.

“People need to realise the struggle that we face and that if we continue allowing people like TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) to dictate people’s opinions on trans people, more of these attacks will happen.

News and Star: Asa Pegler speaking at the vigil at Carlisle Asa Pegler speaking at the vigil at Carlisle (Image: Ollie Rawlinson)

“I’m scared for me, my friends, and my community because it’s not a safe time to be a trans person right now.

“I thank you all for coming and standing with us all to honour Brianna, and think about her life, how it was lost so young by the hands of hateful people.”

Jamie Penquite-Green, who is part of the LGBTQ+ community and lives and works in Carlisle, attended the vigil and said: “I’m originally from The States so I know all too well of the climate that LGBT people are facing, and tonight we’re just simply here to remember Brianna, but it’s not lost on us that she was a young trans girl, and the atmosphere surrounding queer people at this time is incredibly and increasingly hostile.

“Hate crimes against LGBT people have increased significantly over the last few years during the pandemic.

READ MORE: LGBT hate crime doubles across Cumbria

“While I’m not here to politicise her life, it’s not lost on me that there is a chance it was because Brianna was a trans girl, and we shouldn’t ignore that, people should be discussing that.

“If we look back to the 1970s and 80s we see the moral panic against gay men and cisgender lesbians, we see how the media portrays that same moral panic around trans people now, and unfortunately what we see is two young individuals whose lives will be defined by the crime they committed against another young person.”

Asa added afterwards about how Brianna’s killing affected him: “It was heartbreaking, I felt scared.

“I’m not someone who really feels that scared but now I’m a bit more apprehensive to walk about by myself at night, or even in daylight because it happened in the day.

“I have a thing for justice and doing good in the world, I just wanted to spread light on not just her being trans, but her life.

“She was a 16-year-old girl, maybe didn’t have her GCSEs yet, she had so much ahead of her.

“We don’t know if this is true but in my opinion, she genuinely was targeted for being something she cannot change.

“As I said in my speech, people tell me “Why don’t you just de-transition or stop being trans?” and if I were to do that I’d off myself.

“So, either way, I’m not going to let you win, I can’t change who I am, and things like this are so important because I know if I had a friend whom I lost I would want them to be remembered."

READ MORE: Family of Brianna Ghey ‘overwhelmed’ by support from across the country