ROI Minister to make it easier for children to change legal sex

Children under 16 years old could soon be able to change legal sex in the Republic of Ireland, the Children’s Minister has said.

Roderic O’Gorman, Children’s, Disability, Equality and Integration Minister, has committed to reviewing a change in the law to allow under-16’s to change gender with the consent of their parents and GP.

But it has been revealed that the group which advised the Irish Government to make the change does not contain a single medical practitioner.

Expertise

Mr O’Gorman said the Government was following guidance from a review group on Ireland’s Gender Recognition Act.

Irish journalist John McGuirk has heavily criticised its lack of medical expertise. In a scathing assessment, he said: “This review panel did not contain one single psychologist, one single gender specialist, or one single GP.”

“The review group did contain, however, four representatives from NGOs that advocate for trans rights.”

He added: “How can this be said to be ‘expert advice’? It is only expert if one is seeking experts in trans rights activism, and not expertise in children’s medicine or psychology.”

Activism

In the UK, NHS England’s gender identity clinic for children has been accused of ignoring staff concerns about patient welfare.

During a recent internal investigation, staff members at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) made a number of serious allegations against senior clinicians.

They said children were being prescribed experimental drugs after minimal consultation, standard procedures were not being followed and senior figures discouraged staff from raising concerns.