Hundreds of people joined the Transgender Healthcare Protest today. Undeterred by light rain, they gathered to protest the Irish government’s treatment of transgender citizens.
The protest was organised to shed light on the lack of support for transgender issues. Starting at Merrion Square where several people gave speeches, the march picked up protesters as it weaved its way to Leinster House. As part of the march, a letter was handed in to the Department of An Taoiseach, asking Leo Varadkar for more adequate supports.
The letter detailed issues like the need for a psychiatric diagnosis for hormone replacement therapy, which they believe is unnecessary. They also noted the lack of physicians willing to prescribe hormone replacement therapy and, the long waiting lists involved in being treated due to the this. The letter stated that these issues have a detrimental effect on the mental health of transgender citizens.
Senator David Norris, who gave a speech before the march began, said that these issues are “terribly important”. Speaking to The University Times, Norris said that Irish people tend to be “very non-judgemental on this issue”.
“Even the people who don’t understand it, if you put it to them that you’ve a choice on the one hand from a young person being happy with a sense of wellbeing and a productive member of society or on the other hand taking their own life… I think every decent citizen would say let them be happy”, he explained. He called on those present to partake in a “civilised and informed debate”.
Speaking to The University Times, Luke Daly, an organiser of the march, said that these issues “have been on the backburner for quite a long time. “It’s about the time we dragged them to the front”, he explained.
This was reiterated by Noah Halpin, another organiser of the march, who said the protest “is much bigger than the rain”. Overwhelmed by the support, Halpin said when speaking to The University Times that they started planning believing that “maybe 10 or 15 of our friends would turn up and shout with us”.
“It’s not a celebration because there’s nothing to celebrate yet but we’re hoping what comes from this movement, there will be things to celebrate”, he said. “Our healthcare will improved. We will get rid of the outdated medical diagnostic model that currently stands.”
Kate O’Rafferty, a Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) student who also addressed the crowd before the march, explained that “being trans in this country is waiting and fearing for two people in the country to give their permission”.
James Hutton, a professional psychologist, told the crowd that this was “the first time I’ve ever stood publicly for anything”. Referencing waiting times that his clients face, he called for change.
Following the speeches, the marchers made their way from Merrion Square to Leinster House. A vocal crowd, the march chanted and called on the government to listen to their requests. Outside government buildings, Daly addressed the crowd, saying that Varadkar and the government “have done nothing as an ally”.
In an email sent to The University Times before the event, Síona Cahill, the Vice-President for Equality and Citizenship of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), said that the event is meant “to highlight trans healthcare in Ireland, the fact that the system and supports which most of our trans community require is not adequate for their needs”.
Speaking outside Leinster House, Cahill said “we are not here asking for new rights but additional rights but human rights”.
There was strong support from students, with Trinity, Dublin City University and many other colleges present. Daly said that college societies, as well as USI had “massively backed”.
The protest also received support from various groups ranging from famous LGBT institutions like The George and Pantibar, to USI, to the massively popular Facebook group Humans of the Sesh. Support groups for transgender youth and students in Ireland, like the Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) and BeLonGTo, also pledged their support. The Socialist Party and the People Before Profit Alliance also gave their support for the event, as did the Labour Party.
Correction: 17:52, January 20th, 2018
An earlier version of this article incorrectly named Kate O’Rafferty as Kate Rafferty.
Kathleen McNamee contributed reporting to this piece.
