A newspaper in Australia which came under heavy criticism for describing the transgender victim of a brutal murder as “she-male” has now issued a half-hearted apology.

Yesterday, the front page of the Brisbane paper, the Courier-Mail today, described transgender murder victim Mayang Prasetyo using the derogatory term.

The headline of the News-Corp paper read: “Monster chef and the she-male”.

A Change.org petition has since gathered nearly 22,000 signatures, alongside a backlash on social media, with users calling the cover “sensationalist”, “disgusting”, and accusing the paper of “stigmatising” and “villifying” the victim.

Trans Health Australia also demanded an apology from the paper, labelling the use of the term as “soul destroying.”

The front cover of the Courier Mail

The Brisbane paper ran an editorial today with the headline: “‘Victim’s murder should be valued.”

It states: “Mayang Prasetyo was the innocent victim of a horrendous crime, killed by the man she should have been most able to trust.

“She should be remembered — as we reported yesterday — for her cheerful and friendly disposition, and for the care she had showed her family and loved ones in Indonesia.

“Many believe that yesterday we presented Mayang’s story in a way that was disrespectful to her memory.

“The Courier-Mail had no intention of diminishing the value of Mayang’s life, or to add to the grief being felt by her family.”

Editorial in the Courier Mail