St James’s Hospital in Dublin has issued an apology to Paige Behan, a trans woman who was denied urgent treatment when she presented to A&E with a wound infection last year. Reacting to the apology, Paige said that it’s “merely the starting point of a far deeper, systemic issue”.

Speaking to GCN last year, Behan recounted how she underwent gender reassignment surgery in Germany after being referred by the HSE. After coming back to Ireland, the trans woman developed a wound infection and sought treatment in St James’s Hospital A&E in Dublin.

However, the urology, gynaecology and plastics departments all refused to provide her with proper care. After that, she was advised to go to Holles Street Maternity Hospital in Dublin 2, where she was admitted and received treatment.

Following the traumatic experience, Paige brought a statutory complaint against St James’s Hospital, alleging that their conduct was in breach of the Equal Status Act 2000. The complaint was resolved by agreement.

In a public statement read before the Workplace Relations Commission, St James’s Hospital apologised for the “unsatisfactory and upsetting” experience Paige faced. The hospital also acknowledged a “lacuna in the care pathways for patients who have received gender-affirming surgery abroad.”

At Paige’s request, the hospital agreed to meet with Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) “to discuss the concerns regarding the care available to patients who are returning from abroad following gender-affirming surgery.”

Speaking to GCN, Paige responded to the public apology, stating that it “is merely the starting point of a far deeper, systemic issue—particularly within the HSE.”

She added, “The healthcare system for trans people in Ireland is fundamentally broken. What happened to me should never have happened. Full stop.

“While the apology extended to me was measured and rational, it was also cold—devoid of the empathy and humanity I so desperately needed in that moment. The contrast between their clinical response and the raw vulnerability I experienced when I was turned away is stark.

“They knew they had failed me. And in doing so, they underscored a much broader truth: there is an urgent, undeniable need for both education and compassion in trans healthcare.

“I no longer have faith in this country’s ability to care for its trans citizens—not because of isolated mistakes, but because of a system that consistently fails us.

“I spoke out not out of anger alone, but because silence would have meant complicity. I could not bear the thought of this happening to someone else. I fought for what was right, because someone has to.”

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