Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour)

I was struck by Kathy Sheridan's piece in The Irish Times last week because it summed up my feelings perfectly.

She spoke about the absence of kindness in debates around trans people. I hate to use the word "debate" when speaking about the rights of people. This is a group of people - less than 1% of our population - that amounts to an absolutely tiny cohort of marginalised and often vulnerable people. Regardless of how few trans people there are in Ireland or elsewhere, every single one deserves the respect, empathy and dignity we would all hope to receive.

I want Ireland to be a beacon of kindness and compassion towards trans people. I want us to reject the cruel, regressive and bigoted rhetoric that we have seen levelled against trans people here and elsewhere. The Gender Recognition Act was not perfect, but it was a good first step. It sailed through these Houses almost ten years ago, almost without a whimper, much to the credit of the then Minister, Joan Burton, and the then Minister of State, Kevin Humphreys. How is it that, ten years later, the discourse around these matters has become one of such intolerance and exclusion? Trans people have always existed and will always exist. They deserve to live happy and fulfilling lives on the same terms as the rest of us. If we are to really vindicate trans people's rights to be themselves, then we need to put the provisions of the motion into action. I commend the motion to the House.

See this speech in context