Dublin's first ever TRANS Pride March took place today.
Dozens of organisations gathered at Liberty Hall at 2pm, before marching to Fairview Park where the first Pride protest took place 35 years ago.
Organisers say LGBT issues were drowned out by big business at last month's Dublin Pride Festival - despite the record attendance.
Thomas White, the co-organiser of today's march said it aimed to provide a platform to highlight the unique needs of the Trans community.
“It is important that in a society where we face so much discrimination, oppression; so many challenges in everyday life," he said. "Where trans people still can’t access healthcare in Ireland, where 40% of trans people globally have attempted suicide [...] there is a very strong need to be able to organise.
"To be able to organise and express the demands, needs and lived experience of the trans community.”
These people say they came to show solidarity with one of the most vulnerable sections of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Today is the day where we say enough is enough and its time to give the people who have driven so much in our community the time and care that they deserve” Dublin’s first ever Trans Pride parade underway: https://t.co/nZpztVlfmO #DublinTransPride #TransPride pic.twitter.com/e6r1Yc8V3B
— Mick Staines (@shhtick) July 28, 2018
He said organisers felt that Dublin Pride has become an “extremely corporate event that doesn’t express the needs of the community as a whole very well.”
He said there is an “urgent need to have a space where we can organise against discrimination."
Ireland’s first-ever Trans Pride march is getting underway in Dublin: https://t.co/nZpztVlfmO #DublinTransPride #TransPride pic.twitter.com/FgxpWiEPJ1
— Mick Staines (@shhtick) July 28, 2018
Today's marchers were calling for full access to transgender healthcare - and an end to Trans-violence.
Under Irish law, Trans people need a "robust diagnosis" from a psychiatrist in order to get hormone replacement treatment.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said politics should be kept out of it - and the law should follow the "best, most up-to-date medical advice."
Parade organiser Ollie Bell said politicians need to show leadership on the issue:
“Negative mental health goes down so much when you allow Trans people to make those decisions for themselves - so yes, this is a political issue,” she said.
“We need Trans healthcare that is free and based on the informed consent model so that instead of being constantly interrogated about your gender identity and who you are, you are allowed to decide for yourself what you want done.”
