By Enda Kelly
We are witnessing a major increase in a queerphobic backlash against the LGBTQ community, and in particular towards those people who go against the binary and fit into the rigid gender norms of the system.
One in 10 LGBT people over the last five years has experienced violence in the EU. In Ireland, 49% of queer young people have experienced bullying, and there has been a 13% increase in discrimination against the community in Ireland over the last two years.
It is estimated that 1.7% of people are born intersex; according to the UN, this is as common as people with red hair. One in three Intersex people have faced violence in Europe over the last five years. This has led to worsening mental health situations for intersex people in Ireland; 74%, according to a Belong To survey, have experienced suicidal thoughts, with the stigma around intersex people being noted as a major reason for this.
Rise in reaction
Attacks on the rights of trans people are happening across the globe. The Trump administration has overseen 834 anti-Trans bills in states across the US, and 149 of those are federal bills, with the majority targeting funding for LGBTQ+ organisations or groups that indicate support for LGBTQ+ causes, along with the targeting of trans teens. There is also a shameful Supreme Court ruling in Britain that undermines Gender recognition certificates.
This hostility is why Ruth Coppinger’s bill to recognise non-binary and intersex people is so important. The disgraceful dearth of trans healthcare situation where there are 18-year waiting lists showcases this state is a cold place for trans people. This comes at a time when Independent Ireland and Aontú, who are explicitly transphobic, are rising in polls, and the Northern Executive, particularly shamefully Sinn Féin , voting to ban puberty blockers in the North.
Stalled promises
The government has promised to look into non-binary recognition since a 2019 report recommended changing the Gender Recognition Act, but nothing has been done. In terms of intersex people, there is a complete lack of interest from the state to provide the healthcare required, and particularly the outlawing of medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex Children. Furthermore, the lack of action for intersex people is because of a rigid adherence to the gender binary and the false belief that someone can only be a man or a woman, and anything outside of that is defective.The rise of queerphobia against intersex people is not surprising. The capitalist system needs the gender binary, while in this case there is more of a need to fight back.
One reason why these surgeries take place is that parents are pressured to choose male or female when their child is born with intersex characteristics and have to decide that their child is one or the other. Ireland is behind on these issues; 17 countries have recognised a non-binary gender, and nine countries have banned medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex Children. This is why Ruth’s bill matters; it can help win justice for this marginalised and discriminated group.
What the bill includes
This bill is simple: it provides that when someone applies for a GRC, one of the available options is X, indicating a non-binary gender. It also provides that if a child is born with intersex characteristics, the parents of the child can put down an X marker to indicate a child born with intersex characteristics. It also provides equality in law against discrimination for those born with intersex characteristics.
This bill is an important step forward for intersex people who have been fighting for change for too long. If this bill passes, it’ll also give confidence to go further and pressure the government on other issues such as trans and intersex healthcare, in particular outlawing intersex Genital Mutilation.
It will put pressure on the government to bring forward progressive changes around LGBT rights that they have long been promising. For this reason, we need to campaign and pressure the government to vote in favour of this bill. If you want to get involved in the campaign, please contact us!
