I don’t really agree - I haven’t seen anything from the media coverage to suggest this crime was somehow worse than any other child murder. (Some trans people online have even claimed this story has had LESS coverage than other similar crimes - I don’t know if that’s true) Plus I think it’s only natural for people to want to know the details (and therefore the possible motivations) of a shocking case like this one. Just as people seeing reports of a terror attack etc want to know the reasons why.I absolutely agree with you, Ian. My point is that we, the public, don't need to be told whether the police are investigating it as a hate crime or not. Investigate it as a killing and it should be for the court to decide whether it was motivated by what is defined as hate, and apply the appropriate tariff when sentencing.
It's part of the media's attempt to make people feel that something is being done on a higher level because she was trans, i think, and the constant "thirst for knowledge" that has arisen in the age of social media.
I also think that when it comes to a group that is so disproportionately exposed to violence and discrimination as the trans community, many trans people actively want there to be more discussion of that, in the hope that people will have a better of understanding of the problems they face. Even if that’s not a factor in this case - and it would be wrong to be too definitive when speculating about it - it’s still a reality in the world we live in.