Hundreds gather outside the National Museum to pay their respects to the schoolgirl stabbed to death in a park
A CROWD of between 200 and 400 met near Cardiff’s National Museum for a candlelit vigil to remember Brianna Ghey.
The 16-year-old trans schoolgirl was stabbed to death in a park in Cheshire on Saturday, February 11. Two 15-year-olds have been charged with her murder.
The crowd gathered round The Tree of Life in the Gorsedd Gardens holding candles and signs and wearing trans flags to pay their respects.
The tree was decorated with flags, bouquets, and images of Brianna.
Staff from the Queer Emporium shop and youth group Impact LGBTQ+ who organised the vigil handed out candles to the crowd and offered paper leaves for people to write personal messages.
Sarah, from The Queer Emporium, who did not want her full name used, addressed the mourners and paid tribute to Brianna.
“We all mourn the loss of a bright, kind, young girl. She was strong and brave and resilient and she made a lasting positive impact on those around her. We also mourn for her friends and family,” she said.
“Many of us will know the grief they are feeling. My thoughts also go to those who took her life. Children themselves.
“We take space to mourn but we must not be complacent. We are angry and we should be. Trans people are being failed repeatedly and trans youth even more.
“We are stronger together and stronger with our allies and we must stand together to weather this storm and fight to ensure that no more are lost.”
Hopefully one day we will no longer have to gather around a tree with candles.”
Activist, 19
Sarah offered those gathered the chance to address the crowd.
A 19-year-old activist, who did not want to be named, said: “Hopefully one day we will no longer have to gather around a tree with candles.”
Rudy Harries, founder of Trans and Non-Binary Mutual Aid Network, said: “There are children and teens all over Wales struggling to survive. I want our trans children to grow up safe and happy and I never want to stand here mourning another trans child or person ever again.”
Other members of the crowd read poems, sang songs, and shared personal stories.
Lucine, who was attending the vigil with her trans child and also did not want to give her full name, told The Cardiffian: “It makes me angry. That kid died terrified and in pain and all that will be in the parents’ head. That is something that no parent should go through.
“None of us should have to worry about ‘Oh my god my child has gone out dressed like this, dressed like that’, that shouldn’t happen anymore.”
She was, however, positive about the LGBTQ+ scene in Cardiff, describing it as “probably the best – Cardiff is awesome”.
I want our trans children to grow up safe and happy and I never want to stand here mourning another trans child or person ever again.”
Rudy Harries
The positive view of Cardiff’s LGBTQ+ community was echoed by Bridie, a youth support worker with Impact who said: “It’s good to see that there is such a community out there and it’s really nice to see the growth in young people who are sharing their experiences.”
The Rev Sarah Jones of St John the Baptist City Parish Church also addressed the crowd.
She told The Cardiffian: “I think the LGBTQ community in Cardiff is wonderful. It’s vibrant, it’s very diverse.”
The transgender vicar said the vigil was important:
“What’s happened here is that a lot of people have got a lot more courage and they’re saying ‘I’m going to do more things’, so I think internally it may have nurtured some LGBT people here.
“It won’t change the world but I have a feeling that more good will come out than bad.
“It was massively important to have the vigil, even in the cold and the damp. So many people will have gone away with a sense of belonging and feeling uplifted.”
It’s really heart-warming to see that and that’s what the Cardiff community is about. It’s about people standing together arm in arm and you see that on nights like tonight.”
Jan, owner of The Queer Emporium
Jan, one of the organisers and owner of The Queer Emporium, had mixed feelings about the vigil.
“Since opening The Queer Emporium a year and a half ago, this is the fourth time I’ve been to an event like this. It’s kind of crushing when I stop and think about it. It’s horrific,” he said.
But he also spoke positively of its effects on Cardiff’s LGBTQ+ community.
“I think the Cardiff queer scene has never been more inclusive and progressive than it is now.
“When you see what happened this evening with so people coming together to show support, whether it’s just by being a body in the space, just turning up or speaking.
“It’s really heart-warming to see that and that’s what the Cardiff community is about. It’s about people standing together arm in arm and you see that on nights like tonight.”
