Ireland is still in denial about trans rights

The reaction in Ireland to the UK Supreme Court’s decision on the meaning of ‘woman’ in the Equality Act has been revealing. The ruling, which found that women are defined by their biological sex and not a gender recognition certificate, has been watched carefully in Ireland, where trans people have been able to apply to change their gender since 2015.

The Irish law making this possible was passed without much attention being paid to it at the time. But in the decade since, trans issues have become the most viciously fought front in the culture wars.

Irish politicians and the media have been largely silent on the matter, preferring to stay out of a debate that has a nasty habit of leaving scars on anyone who gets involved. Sinn Fein’s health spokesman, David Cullinane, found that to his cost and was the first TD to be left battered and bruised when he hailed the UK decision as ‘a common sense judgment… The ruling needs to be fully examined in this state.