Press Release, for immediate release
14 July 2011
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) broadly welcomed recommendations for gender recognition legislation published today by the Department of Social Protection’s Gender Recognition Advisory Group (GRAG).
However, the rights watchdog was strongly critical of the Group’s recommendation to exclude those in a marriage or civil partnership from the proposed gender recognition process.
Commenting on the issue, the ICCL’s Deputy Director, Tanya Ward said that:
“Excluding persons in existing marriages or civil partnerships from the gender recognition process will force applicants to make an impossible choice between their life partner and recognition in their preferred gender.”
“Government policy should promote loving families in all their forms. The legislation should respect the marriages and civil partnerships of transgendered persons, and not treat them as obstacles for gender recognition” she added.
“If there is a wider constitutional problem in this area, it needs to be actively addressed and not ignored and accepted.”
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Walter Jayawardene
Communications Manager
Irish Council for Civil Liberties
9-13 Blackhall Place
Dublin 7
Ireland
Tel. + 353 1 799 4503
Mob: +353 87 9981574
Fax. + 353 1 799 4512
E-mail walter.jayawardene@iccl.ie
E-mail: info@iccl.ie
NOTE TO EDITOR:
• The report the Gender Recognition Advisory Group (GRAG) was published today, 14 July 2011. It is available on the website of the Department of Social Protection here: http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Press/PressReleases/2011/Pages/pr140711.aspx
• The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD, will rely upon the recommendations as the basis to legislate for the recognition of the acquired gender of transgender people.
• The GRAC report specifically recommends the exclusion of married people, and those in a civil partnership from the proposed gender recognition process (see p47 of the report).
• The ICCL submitted a set of recommendations to the GRAG in September 2010 outlining its recommendations for legislation in this area which includes the issue of marriage. The ICCL submission can be downloaded here.