THENEEDFORTRANSPOSITIVITY

WRITES CLAIRE WATSON | FEATURES EDITOR

Now more than ever, trans allyship is needed With the tragic death of Brianna Ghey, a 16 year old transgender girl, it has never been clearer that trans lives are at risk A transphobic environment has been brewing in the United Kingdom for some time The transphobic campaign led by J K Rowling has fuelled British media with a violent hatred towards transgender individuals Under the leadership of Rishi Sunak this bigotry has become apparent in policy, as the prime minister blocks Scotland’s gender recognition reform bill, which would allow individuals aged 16 and older to receive a gender recognition certificate without a psychiatric diagnosis

This bill is crucial, as political theorist and trans activist Abigail Thorne explains, “There’s no way of knowing whether gender dysphoria is a real diagnostic pattern or just a collective invention ” The assessment of gender dysphoria follows a behavioural model that asks individuals invasive questions pertaining to topics such as masturbation habits and sexual activity Thorne continues, “Getting trans healthcare in England and a lot of legal transition too, requires you to go through that interrogation first ” What is important about the gender recognition reform bill, is that it would allow trans teenagers to avoid this humiliating assessment

In the United Kingdom, if a transgender person is prepared to undergo this assessment to obtain a gender dysphoria diagnosis, a long waiting list only worsens the process As of May 2022, the NHS’ (National Health Service) Gender Clinic notes that those who are currently receiving their first appointments, were initially referred in January 2018 In Ireland, the NGS (National Gender Service) they are receiving patients who were referred 3 to 3 and a half years ago Though, according to a Transgender Europe (TGEU) study, the waiting time for a first appointment is 7 years

TGEU recorded that Ireland is the worst country within the European Union for trans healthcare The study was divided into 6 categories; including the need for a psychiatric diagnosis to hormonal treatment and/or surgery and the waiting times for a first appointment within trans healthcare The other categories included the type of healthcare available, groups excluded from or forced onto longer waiting lists, the youngest age to receive puberty blockers and the youngest age to receive hormone treatment Ireland received 1 point due to its coverage of healthcare In this category, 2 points was the maximum

The reason I turn to British politics to understand the environment of transphobia, is that statistics relating to the quality of life for trans individuals in Ireland is sparse Though, the topic has been entering current media with the case of Enoch Burke Burke was suspended from his position as a teacher by refusing to comply with a student’s and the school’s request to refer to a student by their correct pronouns Following his suspension Burke continued to show up on school grounds, to which he was given a court order to stay away from the school Failing to follow this court order, he was jailed for 108 days

In turning to British media for a perspective on the reality transgender people face, it can be easy to put a distance between Ireland and our neighbour across the Irish sea We can desensitise ourselves to hate-crimes and deaths, like that of Brianna Ghey. In reality, this instance happened but a couple of hours away Borders, when so close together, do not entirely divide our social and political spheres In reality this is a global epidemic The transphobia in the British literary scene is unfortunately present in Ireland Novelist John Boyne’s defence of J K Rowling, is one such example When we read stories of transphobia and bigotry, we must remind ourselves that this epidemic is Irish too

On this note, there is one Irish resource that I have found on the life of trans people in Ireland, courtesy of Orla Egan’s Cork LGBT Archive, though to clarify this one particular story relates to Dublin A trans history of Cork has been difficult to find, and I hope that one day it will be recovered The archive preserves the “Friends of Eon” a glamorous group of trans people who strived to create a safe environment for trans people to socialise. The group was founded in 1978 by two trans women; Claire Farrell and Lola It was the first trans group in Ireland The archive showcases a Friends of Eon membership card