Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am glad of the opportunity to speak on this very important subject. I believe that life was actually a lot simpler before and that it is we who are making it a bit more complicated. One of the main concerns is the potential vulnerability of young individuals who might be influenced by societal pressures and ideological beliefs. Esteemed clinicians argue that children may not have the cognitive development or maturity necessary to make irreversible decisions about their gender identity or undergo medical interventions like hormone therapy or surgery. Despite this, governments, including the current coalition in Ireland, are pushing for early transitioning for children without comprehensive long-term studies on its psychological, physical and social consequences. This is obviously a cause of alarm. However young children grow up and whatever they want to be in the future, it is our job to protect them, nurture them and help them to make the most of their lives and to be whatever is best for themselves.

We should not go interfering with nature and young children. When a child is born, they are a boy or a girl and that is it, until such time as they deem that they have some other idea or some other ideological reason for wanting to say something different to that. For a Department or Government to instruct teachers to get away from calling children boys or girls or, to mention an issue I have been dealing with a lot recently in County Kerry, to build schools and talk of having gender-neutral toilets does not make sense. It is not right, whether it is young girls or boys who want the sanctuary or safety of being able to go into a room, young girls who want to go into a room together and talk about this or that or young boys who want to have a place of their own. I do not agree with the idea of mixing youngsters up at a young age in toilets in schools. If other politicians have a different idea, that is fine, but each of us is entitled to our opinion. We are all representing people in our constituencies to the best of our ability.

I have concerns about what is happening at the moment. When I see men playing women's sports I am concerned. It does not seem right to me or rest easy with me. It is not right in my book. A lot of people have concerns. It is like the emperor wearing no clothes. A lot people and politicians get up in the morning, wet the top of their finger, see which way the wind is blowing and follow it. They are afraid to stand up and say what they believe. They are afraid to stand up and say perhaps what their mothers, fathers or grandparents might have said if they were here today. I would like to think that if the good people who went before us - our grandparents - were here listening to some of what goes on in debates and some of the contributions, they would ask where we have come from, where we are going and what are we doing.

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