Ruadhán Jones
One could argue that Minister O’Gorman has launched what he says he fears most, a culture war, with the first shots fired by him. Prof. Patricia Casey has described as “ludicrous” new plans by the Minister for Children to legalise the self-declaration of gender for children, and called for a proper, open debate on the issue. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Prof. Casey said that “it’s ludicrous to be giving the choice of such a momentous procedure to children and teenagers”.
“Children can’t vote, they can’t buy cigarettes, they can’t make decisions about other procedures. Like, if they go in for an appendectomy, the parents have to give permission.”
Minister Roderic O’Gorman has committed to introducing laws that would allow children aged 16 and 17 to change their gender without parental consent. He is also seeking the self-declaration of gender for children under the age of 16.
Green Party TD Mr O’Gorman views are in line with the conclusions of a review group for the Gender Recognition Act.
Prof. Casey questioned the level of research and expertise that went into the review group, describing it as “narrow and one-sided”.
“I’m very concerned that no people with expertise in the area [contributed to the review],” she said.
“There were people who were themselves transgender and there were NGOs who were committed to the transgender ideology. But we need more than that – we do need a proper, open debate about this.”
Prof. Casey said that before any decision is made, there needs to be significantly more research conducted and voices heard.
“It is not something that should be done flippantly or lightly, without all the background information available,” she said.
Change
“We need the voice of specialists and parents, and indeed people who have de-transitioned. The evidence is that teenagers with gender dysphoria change and that it’s really related to distress about their sexuality in their teenage years. That information is crucial.”
Meanwhile, Minister for Education Norma Foley expressed her reservations about any plans to make it easier for children under 16 to change their gender, in an interview with The Sunday Independent.
“That’s something I would have to consider further,” she said.