Trans Healthcare Action (THA) have been working hard throughout the past year to achieve our vision of local, accessible, informed consent-based gender-affirming care across Ireland. Here is a breakdown of the key highlights of our work in 2023 and what it means for our mission moving forward.
THA met with TDs and senators several times over the year, to explain the current state of trans healthcare in Ireland and our vision for a better system based on an informed consent model in primary care. This was assisted by our policy brief, a leaflet summarising our goals and vision.
In April the European Professional Association for Transgender Health (EPATH) hosted their bi-annual conference in Killarney. This was a unique opportunity to interact with hundreds of international medical experts in the area of transgender healthcare. Three THA committee members attended, learning more about different models of care and making connections with clinicians across the world.
In September the GP Action Project moved to a new home under Trans Healthcare Action. This project gathers information about medical providers who offer healthcare such as blood tests to trans patients.
In September THA spokesperson Niamh Nà Féineadh was interviewed on Seal le Daithà about her experiences as a trans woman and as an Irish speaker. She spoke about discovering she was trans during lockdown, her activism work for the Abortion Rights Campaign and THA, and raising her children through Irish. The episode can be viewed on the TG4 Player.
In October we published an open letter to the HSE, signed by 22 national and international groups including professional medical organisations. This letter expressed concern that the HSE’s job posting for the Clinical Lead for Transgender Services did not mention compliance with international human rights standards, did not mention WPATH, and that the trans and gender diverse (TGD) community were not consulted in the creation of this role.
In October we participated in a Council of Europe event on Advancing Healthcare Access for Trans People in Europe, learning about systems in other countries and sharing some of the challenges we face in Ireland.
In December THA spokesperson Niamh Nà Féineadh was interviewed as part of a Prime Time report on healthcare for trans youth. Unfortunately the episode was not focused on the happiness transition brings to the vast majority of the TGD community. We published a statement in response to the episode shortly after it aired.
Trans Healthcare Action has been expanding our operations. During 2023 the committee doubled in size and we added many more volunteers who are working towards improving trans healthcare. One example of this is the launching of our monthly newsletter Trasinscnuacht in May, which you can subscribe to here.
If you’d like to help in our mission, please contact us at action@transhealthcare.ie.