Yes but I'm not arguing for or against calling a trans person the wrong pronoun.

Not taking a side of anyone but female pronouns do soften the edges in the minds of the masses in some instances. He shot his wife. Vs. She shot her husband. For the general public they would be more likely to sympathize with a wife shooting her husband because suddenly the retort goes from, "What a shame" to "why did she kill him?" You begin to rationalize her actions by wondering if he was being abusive, or sexually aggressive. I'm not saying it's good or bad, but just saying that, how most people classically perceive language can alter their viewpoint. Especially if they just read the headline and don't fully understand the scope of the crimes.