For the first time in two years, Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin will be back marching through the streets of the city. The event takes place on July 16, with organisers and attendees being asked to meet at the Garden of Remembrance before heading to Merrion Square.

The event is open to all Trans, non-binary, intersex and cis people in Ireland. A post from the organisers on Facebook highlights the goal of the protest, writing that “the last two years have seen an unprecedented number of attacks levelled against Trans people and the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole.

Across the world, we have witnessed a dangerous new reactionary and right-wing movement seeking to roll back the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community which have been won through decades of organised, grassroots mass struggle.”

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“Such homophobic and transphobic articles and attacks have no place in our society and cannot be tolerated. Despite how much the media and right-wing reactionaries wish they could legislate or scare us out of existence, the simple reality is that neither sex or gender exist as a binary. Both exist on a spectrum and those of us who don’t fit in the binary aren’t going anywhere.”

Elements of Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin’s 2019 theme, “Break the Binary”, will be incorporated into the demands of this year’s protest by calling out the oppression perpetrated by the gender binary. Their statement continues on to say “the gender and sex binary are a product of western colonialism which harms all of us. Even cisgender people are imprisoned by the societal (and often sexist) expectations placed upon them.”

Organisers are also calling out the lack of Trans healthcare in Ireland and the stigmatisation of intersex identities. The lack of gender-affirming care available has led to Trans people travelling to Poland and UK to receive expensive and medically necessary surgery.

“There’s the ever-growing crisis of the Trans healthcare system in Ireland. Trans youth have no access to gender-affirming care as the Gender Identity adolescent clinic in Crumlin Hospital is no longer running as of January 2021. The waiting list for Loughlinstown is ranging from 6-10 years long.”

“In Ireland and globally, intersex babies are given medically unnecessary and nonconsensual operations in order to conform their bodies to the gender/sex binary. These surgeries have high complication rates and lifelong consequences such as infertility, reduced sexual function, and other physical and mental health issues.”

The return of Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin is more crucial than ever, following on from the recent growth in homophobic violence across the country. The relaunch of their protest has come just two days after news of a transphobic attack taking place in Dublin broke.

The group has remained vigilant over the past two years, responding to these incidences of violence and hosting an annual vigil to honour Trans Day of Remembrance. These continued acts of brutality against the queer community makes the protection of Trans, Intersex and non-binary folks increasingly crucial for members of the LGBTQ+ community and our allies.

The statement finished with a powerful message, encouraging attendees to bring with them friends, family, co-workers and fellow students in an act of solidarity, coming together to “build a movement to actively fight for bodily autonomy for Trans and intersex people as well as an end to the transphobic and homophobic attacks we have witnessed.”

“We’re bringing Pride back to its radical roots of protest. Those who profit from our suffering, deny us our rights or benefit from our exploitation in any way are not welcome.”