In October this year, the Trans Equality Network Ireland (TENI) announced their new Executive Director. Daire Dempsey has taken the helm at a pivotal time for the organisation, and they spoke to GCN about their journey so far and what they envision for the future of TENI.

Following a Master’s in Equality Studies at UCD, Daire went straight into the non-profit sector, working for an organisation that tackled poverty and homelessness. Then, in 2021, their work in TENI began when they joined the organisation as Education Officer.

Starting with training and outreach for university staff and students, their role evolved over time to encompass work in the employment sector, before moving into the policy space. “It’s the nature of NGO work and nonprofit work where there’s always much more work to be done than there are people to do it,” they said.

Throughout their career, Daire’s work has revolved around “trying to take what we know about what’s happening for trans people in Ireland and trying to add to the knowledge that we don’t have through research, and then to advocate and educate and achieve social change through that.”

This type of activism has always been a part of Daire’s life. “Outside of TENI, I was involved in the Small Trans Library and in other grassroots trans community groups, and that’s been really important.”

Speaking about the role that activism plays in their life, they said: “In everyone’s life, there’s the things that you do for yourself, like your hobbies and your interests, and then there’s the work as well, and the things that you do to pay rent and manage your life and all that.

“And for me, there always has to be that third thing. It’s really important for me to have something that is about how I engage with the world or how I engage with society that is about more than just me.

“It’s about critically looking at the world that we’re living in and then looking at how and where you can make a difference.”

They added, “I feel very lucky that I’m able to channel some of that into my work. I feel very lucky to be able to work at something that I care about and work for the community that I’m a part of.”

Speaking about the current global situation for the trans community, they said: “We have been at such a crucial moment for trans people globally and also in Ireland in the last couple of years. And I think we’re seeing such a radical shift in anti-LGBTQ+ movements, anti-rights, anti-democracy.

“We’re seeing such a marked increase in fascism globally. And so much of that is concentrated around two issues: anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQ+, but really specifically anti-trans. So I think it’s really important that we have a strong trans community organisation.

“It means a lot to me to be appointed to lead that,” they shared, speaking about becoming Executive Director of TENI. “It’s a vote of confidence in me, which I feel very proud of and moved by.”

“The timing worked out just right that we were able to announce my appointment at the conference for the tenth anniversary of Gender Recognition at the start of October. Getting to make the announcement in a room of pioneering trans leaders in Ireland, gender recognition campaigners, the giants on whose shoulders we stand, was a deeply special moment for me.

“The love and support that was there, for TENI, and for our community as a whole, was so tangible and so real, and is a salve to the dark times we’re living in. The trans community is stronger than anyone knows, and we’re not going anywhere.”

Speaking about the organisation specifically, the new Executive Director said: “TENI is in a really wonderful place right now. We moved into Outhouse at the start of this year. So we’re a little bit more in the heart of the community. And we were recently awarded our charity status, which is a huge deal for an organisation in the sector.”

“We also partnered with CMAT on the “T in CMAT stands for Trans Rights” fundraiser. So we had a really positive year,” they went on. “My vision for TENI as an organisation is that it’s robust, that it’s reliable and dependable, and there for our communities. But that’s also agile and that is able to respond to the needs that are changing and growing.”

“I feel like often people who work in charities or in NGOs would say, ‘Oh, the vision for the future is that we no longer exist’. That we live in a society where we no longer need whatever the organisation is.”

“I really admire the sentiment behind that, but that’s never been a vision for me,” Daire continued. “I want us to build a future where trans people are safe and happy and healthy, where trans people live fulfilled lives in dignity. And I think in that golden vision that I have, TENI still exists. There will always be a need for organisations that are by trans people for trans people. My utopian vision of Ireland includes TENI.”

Daire said they want TENI to be “an organisation that trans people feel part of, that trans people are linked to, that trans people feel a sense of ownership over, and that’s working for them.”

Beyond TENI, Daire said the things that bring them joy are the people in their life. “I feel so lucky to have a really rich network of friends and family, to have really rich relationships that are so fulfilling. Seeing their strength and their integrity and their passion and their drive.”

Something that makes their life fulfilling is “definitely spending time with young people in my life, who bring so much joy and curiosity and imagination and play and challenges to authority, even if that authority is ‘you have to brush your teeth’.”

“What else brings me joy? Sometimes it’s just watching really shit TV,” they joked. “Sometimes you need to take a break from engaging with the world and you need to watch some really terrible TV, and just chill out and turn your brain off.”