Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

As we recognise Pride week here in Dáil Éireann, I am deeply honoured to stand before Members, not just as Minister of State for mental health and the Government Chief Whip, but as a proud mother, ally and advocate for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in Irish life. I am especially proud of who I am and who my family is. My son is a transgender young man, and seeing him grow into his own identity reminds me daily of the urgent need for compassion, dignity and fairness in public policy. His story is part of a broader narrative that we must honour by continuing to build a State that cherishes all of our children equally, that truly supports all its people without exception.

Sometimes the debate in relation to trans issues rages on social media without facts or understanding. It can be very hurtful. We should all reject those nasty opinions from people who do not understand the hurt and pain for young trans people who have to navigate a difficult enough pathway in their lives.

Pride is more than a celebration. It is a declaration of our shared values: equality, respect and community. Over the past decade, we have transformed Ireland, becoming the first country to recognise same-sex marriage through popular vote in 2015 and enacting the Gender Recognition Act that same year, which allowed legal gender change through self-determination. Clearly, our work is not done. In just the past few months, we have strengthened hate crime legislation. Since December 2024, Ireland has what is widely recognised as some of the toughest and most comprehensive protections in Europe, explicitly including gender identity.

Our Department of Children, Disability and Equality has launched an updated national LGBTI inclusion strategy. Together with Belong To, we are introducing inclusive youth supports, including the “Rainbow Award" programme in schools and youth services.

On mental health specifically, we have made historic advancements. Just last month, a new guidance and training resource supporting LGBTQI+ inclusion in mental health services was launched. This comprehensive guidance and training resource was developed with the Mental Health Commission. On 9 July, I had the privilege of progressing the Mental Health Bill 2024 through all Stages in this House, a landmark overhaul that embeds rights-based, person-centred care into our mental health legislation. In recent months, we also saw the launch of our 2025-27 implementation plan for Sharing the Vision, which includes a record €1.5 billion annual budget and the largest ever capital allocation of €31 million for mental health infrastructure in 2025.

However, I stand here today to acknowledge the need to do more in one area where action is lagging, namely, gender-affirming healthcare. Our programme for Government six months ago set out the commitment to develop a transgender healthcare service that was based on clinical evidence, respect, inclusiveness and compassion. I was proud to write that into the programme for Government. Those words did not come easily. Those words came from involvement with several trans organisations and working with the HSE. This is what we felt was the best way forward.

A recent EU report revealed that, for many, first appointment wait lists in Ireland are way too long, leaving trans people stranded without access to vital care. We have seen reports that confirm our trans health services are the least resourced in Europe. This is simply unacceptable. That is why our programme for Government commits not simply to promises, but to practical, evidence-based plans.

Budget 2025 invested €770,000 specifically to develop a robust, clinically grounded transgender healthcare model. We have appointed a clinical lead, established a multidisciplinary advisory group and begun a community-based pilot to better understand and serve trans young people. We are committed to a service that is rooted in clinical evidence, respect, inclusiveness and compassion, moving away from overly rigid models and towards a resilient, patient-centred standard of care.

I have met many young trans people in the last five years. They are looking for respect, compassion, appropriate counselling and supports such as endocrinology, psychology, social workers and, if appropriate because not everybody will need it, psychology. That is the multidisciplinary team that the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, and I want to develop. We are working behind the scenes to develop it.

Every single time I list a meeting in relation to trans healthcare in my diary, freedom of information requests come in on it. Every single time I speak openly about trans, I am trolled on social media. It is extremely difficult. We talk about a recruitment process. We cannot get people to work in trans healthcare in Ireland. I had a meeting yesterday. People simply do not want to work there because of the abuse, the vileness and venom to which they are subjected. We will try really hard to deliver a service. I look forward to visiting the service in Drogheda, for example, that supports many hundreds of children and young people aged under 18 years. I agree with the Deputy in relation to the service in Loughlinstown. I am not convinced. There is a long waiting list there but I am certainly not convinced in relation to its model of care.

In the time ahead, I will continue to work with the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and colleagues across the Government and the HSE to ensure that we put this model in place and it is supported by adequate funding. Supporting our trans citizens is not optional. It is and must be a measure of our shared humanity. It is also a work in progress. The funding commitments, clinical frameworks and improved access are only as strong as the promptness of their execution.

I am proud to say, as the mother of a trans man living in Ireland, it is one of the safest countries in the world to be a trans young person. There are countries you could simply not go to and we must recognise that.

I also recognise the work of the Department of Social Protection on gender recognition when people turn 18. It gives support and help to young people, including helping to access a birth certificate and passport. You have to go through the system to understand it. The Department is exceptional, with a turnaround time of ten days.

As a Government, we must monitor and reduce the wait times systematically, as we must across all health services. We must publish a full model of care as soon as possible. We must expand capacity in gender services, including examining the development of new regional hubs that have worked in other areas. We must stop exporting trans healthcare as if it is someone else's problem. We must ensure continuity of care for those referred from other jurisdictions.

I feel this responsibility personally. I have seen the distress that prolonged uncertainty brings and the courage it takes for young people and families to demand better. We must continue to meet that challenge head-on with empathy, respect, dignity, resources and urgency.

I also acknowledge the work of advocacy organisations, including BelonG To, TEN-I, ChillOUT in Waterford and others, which have driven progress, raised awareness and held us to account. There is no replacing lived and living experience in the crafting of good policy, and I thank them for their partnership.

The Pride celebrations for this year may have drawn to a close but I say to all members of the community that I stand with them, I hear them and I remain committed to action over my words today. Pride is more than visibility. It is the continuous demand for real change, and Ireland has made that demand manifest. From the ballot box to this House and the health services that serve our communities, we will not rest until equality is lived out in every interaction. As a Minister of State, mother and proud ally, I pledge that the lives of LGBTQ+ people, and especially trans children and adults, must guide the steps we take this year and beyond.

See this speech in context