Mr. Darrin Matthews:

I am 22 years old and run the Cork transgender support group. People of all different ages are coming to the support group, but I can definitely say that people are coming out younger and younger. People are now asking questions about their gender before their leaving certificate examination, raising concerns that their results will be issued showing the wrong name and will cause them difficulties when they apply to college or for jobs, as people will know their history. It should not make a difference but people can make a judgment on that in terms of whether a person should be employed or can go to a specific college. As Mr Giambrone said, 600 people went to support groups or accessed TENI last year, but if one multiplies that figure by ten for the number of people who do not, there are 6,000 transgender people.

We recently did a survey that showed that 40% of the people who took this survey attempted suicide. So that is almost 2,500 who attempted suicide. The people who are affected are not only limited to the 2,500 who attempt suicide but also include their families. I have family members who died by suicide. I come from a family who buried somebody who died by suicide. I cannot imagine 2,500 families and groups of friends burying transgender people, because the situation is so dire. We try to do as much as we can in providing support. We meet regularly. We supply phone numbers that people can ring, but if one cannot feel accepted by people and can be discriminated against, how likely is one to access those supports? One can be told one has a psychiatric condition, a mental illness, and this makes people feel helpless. Who will listen to a person who must prove that he or she is not mentally healthy?