Trans Rights in Northern Ireland: A Call for Action
by Sorcha Keeve
Northern Ireland is becoming increasingly hostile toward its transgender community. While already considered one of the most dangerous places in Europe to be a woman, it is now also a place where anti-trans rhetoric and discriminatory policies are gaining momentum. Marginalised communities are bearing the brunt of these regressive societal shifts, compounded by a government whose silence, or worse, complicity, only intensifies the fear. Hatred is becoming embedded into our culture.
Two stark realities unfold in parallel: one of protest, resistance, and solidarity, and another filled with ignorant debates, often trivialised down to bathroom access. The fixation on gendered bathrooms has somehow become central to public discourse, overshadowing genuine conversations about equality and human rights. Although trans people have existed since the beginning of time and will always continue to do so, apparently there will always be some bigot on national television having a weep about the possible prospect of sharing a basic amenity with a trans person who is most certainly minding their own business. The argument here is rooted in “safety”, despite the fact that trans people are far more likely to be the targets of violence, not the perpetrators. This irony is lost on many, as transphobia continues to dominate mass media from all directions.
Transphobia is coming from every angle. In terms of healthcare in the UK, access to gender-affirming care is severely limited, with long waiting lists and hundreds of thousands of trans people experiencing debilitating mental health as a result of the lack of resources available. Legal protections in place regarding gender recognition are evidently failing, as UK policies continuously move back instead of forward. Gender identity is now based on biological sex, placing many people in dangerous positions as their legal documents will no longer align with their presentation, meaning they will perpetually be outed when travelling or just having to show any form of ID. God forbid you even say you use they/them pronouns too- good luck opening that can of worms when it is now seen as a burden as opposed to a basic request for respect. It is increasingly hard to see hope when there is so little outrage for where the world is going.
I have been wondering why I still have hope, despite living in Belfast for three years now which is evidently drenched in transphobia. I realised I can still see the hope for better times amidst it all; I see it in the drag shows, where the queens or kings perform tirelessly and effortlessly under the sparkling lights, making the entire room smile. I see it in the protests, which break my heart but reinstate the fact that there is a mass of people who will not disappear even as the system continues to fail. I see it in the people around me who never question a pronoun and keep speaking up even if everybody else does not agree with it. I see it on lampposts from artists who paste minuscule stickers with simplistic taglines like “trans rights” that the majority would not even notice. I even see it reflected in the hatred, because resistance only exists where there is something worth fighting for.
We need action, now more than ever.
Have the hard conversations. Stand up for a community that needs you now more than ever. Educate yourself and those around you. Be loud in your support—because many of us are already too exhausted to keep shouting alone. Every step you take in solidarity can be the difference between despair and survival for someone. Be on the right side of history, because no amount of policies, legislations or politicians will ever have the capability to eradicate a vibrant community built on acceptance and authenticity. For every trans person who is reading this, I urge you to hold on and continue having the courage to exist. There are still glimmers of hope even in the darkest of times, with pockets of love around every corner.
