LIMERICK groups are being encouraged to join a national coalition to advocate for trans and non-binary people.
One of the first groups to join the recently launched Trans Equality Together coalition was the Trans Community Limerick peer support group for trans, non-binary, gender diverse and questioning adults in Limerick.
Led by TENI (Transgender Equality Network Ireland), Belong To and LGBT Ireland, Trans Equality Together says its objective is to create an Ireland where trans people are “equal, safe and valued”.
The coalition also seeks to promote positive attitudes and advocate for legislative changes to improve the lives of trans people and make Ireland a more equal society for all.
Another ambition is to counter what they describe as “the negative and false messages about trans people that have been circulating in recent years”.
Trans Equality Together Co-Director Sara Phillips said they want to bring together the diverse array of organisations that work with the trans community to demonstrate to politicians, policymakers and the wider public the breadth of support for trans rights and the challenges the trans community is facing.
Her fellow co-director Moninne Griffith said trans people in Ireland are a tiny minority of the population whose voices have rarely been heard in national discourse.
“They have been marginalised, denied access to healthcare, and demonised in the press.
“Trans Equality Together will work to create an Ireland where trans people are equal, safe and valued. We want to promote positive attitudes towards trans people, counter the negative and false messages that have been circulating in recent years.
“We will work to achieve policy and legal changes – particularly in relation to gender recognition and healthcare – to improve the lives of trans people.
“We do not want to see the sort of divisive rhetoric and villainisation of trans people taking hold in Ireland that we have witnessed in other countries.”
