Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. The transition from one gender to another is a very difficult issue for many people. One can only begin to imagine how difficult it is for them. Two experiences have brought this home to me. In 2010 I was involved in preparing a report on early school leaving for the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education. As part of that project we considered groups that were particularly at risk, one of which was LGBT people. I met some people who were making a gender transition or wanted to make the transition. I was shocked to realise that people aged 14 to 16 had been aware of this for a long time. It is very important that this Bill is before the House. We need to set these people free and support them in their search for what they feel is their proper gender. There are many issues we should tease out on Committee Stage but I support the thrust of the Bill and the principles underpinning it.

Another instance I became aware of concerns a girl, now aged 22, who has been trying to make a gender transition for a long time. She is getting testosterone injections. She has changed her name to a boy’s name. Her family refer to her as a boy, although her gender is still recognised as female. The lengths to which people must go to be understood struck me in this girl's case. She has a partner who does not live in the country. That partner is female and I took it initially that the girl was lesbian but no, she wants to be male.

When I mentioned the context of the early school leaving study, I should have mentioned that my experience there was the contemplation of suicide by the young person for not being understood. Dropping out of school was only minor compared to the big picture around identity. My overarching view is that one can never underestimate how important it is to have one's identity recognised.

This is going to come up time and time again. It comes up in the context of adoption and will come up in the context of same-sex marriage. It is absolutely critical to honour one's identity, to receive as much information as possible about that identity and not to hide it. I will reserve all concerns. I know there are many issues around the age at which this should happen and how much psychological and medical support should be in place, but I will hold off on those questions until Committee Stage.