I view it differently.
There's transphobia in there. But it's not the motivation.
The more disturbing bits are about the obsessions and disturbing access to content which isn't appropriate for children (and in some cases even adults).
That was the driver, not the fact Brianna was trans.
That's not playing transphobia down. That's trying to make sure the driving factors and concerns aren't ignored because everyone is busy shouting transphobia.
And with regards to the victim being trans there are comorbidity issues.
It sounds like the pair tried to lure someone else first but it failed. They read the situation as not being right for some reason.
Brianna appears not to have done the same.
Brianna desperate for friends formed one with a girl who was giving everyone else a vibe. She'd be excluded from previous schools and the other kids were keeping their distance. There was awareness she had a 'kill list' from 2020.
Was Brianna's social isolation a factor? Did Brianna lack skills to read the situation as being not healthy? Was Brianna desperate for friends and ignored instincts? Was this because trans or for other reasons?
It's important to not dismiss the other reason part. If kids identifying as trans have a really high rate of poor social skills then there's an argument that they should receive support online with those needs rather than it just being labelled as part of being trans.
The fact it's easier to transition than access even minimal support from CAHMS is relevant here. It's also relevant that there is a massive politically led drive to try and say that there should be no mental health elements to transition/ concerns about mental health despite even Stonewall dubious surveys pointing out alarmingly high disability levels which suggest something else is going on. Trans becomes the way to refuse help in a socially pressured and enabled way rather than looking at actual need.
It becomes 'i don't need to see a therapist because they are transphobic' because they ask difficult questions. That in itself is potentially worrying avoidant type behaviour. Why don't you want to confront certain issues?
It might be hard for people to understand that transphobia isn't a driving factor. But this isn't downplaying it. It's highlighting the more significant elements correctly. It's also highlighting issues which made being trans not the reason they were the victim but why co morbid risk factors may be important to kids who identify as trans for a variety of reasons.
In terms of sentencing, I'm not sure why looking at transphobia really matters. The significant factor is the total lack of remorse and how it was all treated as a joke. It was a game. And that in itself probably should merit a harsher sentence without the need to consider transphobia. It was the coldness across the board which would have been applied to any victim. Otherwise you end up with a situation where if the victim isn't trans their life is deemed as less important even though the aggravating factor is a fascination with killing for both. It is the planning and premeditation that's the real concern. Unlike many other child on child crimes. There is no background of conflict. There is no mistaken identity. There is no clear background of targeted emotional bullying directly at Brianna which escalated (the transphobic comments were not used TO Brianna. They were used about Brianna which makes it slightly more difficult). Indeed the opposite seems true - Brianna thought girl x was a friend and the girl seems to have liked Brianna.
And then there was the subsequent attempts at cover up which included messaging Brianna. It's the coldness and calculating that makes it different to 'just another kid murdered in the park' story. Yet the focus is simply on Brianna's identity which isn't anymore right than accusations of transphobia.
That's my point really. The need to put into context and for it to be measured. We have to understand in full, not just look at singular elements. But how they result in a perfect storm and how you can act to stop similar storms via multiple approaches. As singular approaches have more chance of failure in the future.