The Gender Recognition Act was passed in Ireland on July 15, 2015, and signed into law on July 22. To mark the 10th anniversary, GCN has launched the #GenderRec10 campaign, where we dig through the archive to highlight how the magazine covered the struggle that led to the passage of the groundbreaking legislation. This first article, from GCN Issue 308, marks the day when the Gender Recognition Bill entered its final stage in the legislative process in 2015.

On July 15, the Gender Recognition Bill entered the final legislative stage of its historic journey to becoming law.

“This is a momentous occasion for the trans community in Ireland,” said TENI (Trans Equality Network Ireland) Chair Sara R. Phillips. “Dr Lydia Foy’s 22-year journey is finally coming to an end. The Government’s formal recognition of the trans community means that we will finally step out of the shadows.”

With the change in legislation, Ireland will become the fourth country in the world to introduce legislation based on self-determination, joining Argentina, Denmark, Malta and Colombia, removing all medical criteria from the legal recognition process. This means there will be no requirements for medical interventions or diagnosis of a mental disorder. Trans people over the age of 18 will be able to self-declare their gender by way of a statutory declaration.

“Self-determination is at the core of our human rights. We are the experts of our own gender identity. Trans people do not need other people to tell us who we are. There is a clear legislative trend towards self-determination and Ireland is taking its position as a global leader in the area of trans rights,” said Philips.

Stay tuned for more articles from 2015 as part of the #GenderRec10 campaign. To look through the GCN Archive for yourself, see the issues from 1988 to 1998 here, and more recent issues here.