Hundreds protest for better Trans healthcare policies in Ireland

Around 400 people protested for trans rights outside Dublin’s main government buildings over the weekend. The protestors called on the Irish government to modernise “outdated” transgender healthcare policies, specifically for Minister of Health Simon Harris and Prime Minister Leo Varadkar to take action.

Currently, the country treats trans patients under a psychiatric care model, which goes against policies outlined by the World Professional Association for Transgender Healthcare (WPATH). Other countries use an informed consent model, in which providers explain the potential risks of a treatment plan to the patient, and the patient either consents to or denies treatment.

Officials from the government say they do abide WPATH guidelines, although many trans people have said otherwise, claiming to have been put on two-year waiting lists to access hormone replacement therapy (HRT). They also explained that in the whole country there are only two endocrinologists who prescribe HRT, as no general practitioners will.

Two organisers of the event, Noah Halpin and Luke Daly, said they never expected so many people to show up to the protest.

“We thought maybe 10 or 15 of our friends would turn up and shout at the gates of Leinster House, but we got almost 400 people turn up that day,” Halpin told The Irish Times. “It was very passionate.”

“That two-and-a-half-year wait is just devastating for people,” he continued. “It’s traumatic. People who have never struggled with mental health difficulties are now struggling with mental health difficulties while they wait.”