The Irish Coast Guard has said they are investigating reports of alleged transphobic abuse “as a matter of urgency” following an alleged incident that occurred with two of the group’s representatives at Dublin Pride.
Members of the Coast Guard took part in Dublin’s Pride Parade and a woman has alleged that two men in the Coast Guard uniform made transphobic comments towards two of her trans friends.
In a Twitter thread, she alleges that they referred to them as “it” in a pub near Merrion Square after the parade.
The woman goes on to say that later on in the smoking area, the same men were stood close to her group and allegedly were “staring, jeering and laughing” at her trans friends.
She stated that they felt so uncomfortable that they decided to leave the pub and concluded by saying that “the Irish Coast Guard should really look into rolling out company-wide LGBT+ training before they ever consider sending their members to Pride again.”
She said that the men were in uniform at the time and urged that the incident be looked into.
Speaking to Dublin Live, a spokesman for the Irish Coast Guard said they were aware of the allegation and they do not condone the behaviour “which could in any way be interpreted by an individual as transphobic”.
They said: “The Irish Coast Guard promotes a respectful and open culture where all individuals, both internal to the organisation and members of the public, are treated with dignity and professionalism.
“This culture is a cornerstone of our organisation and all Coast Guard members are duty-bound to uphold these principles.
“The Coast Guard has been made aware of a social media posting which has made an allegation of transphobia.
“The Coast Guard does not condone any behaviour which could in any way be interpreted by an individual as transphobic.
“This matter is being addressed as a matter of urgency.”
If you were affected by any of the issues highlighted in this article you can reach out to the following:
LGBT Helpline
T: 1890 929 539 | W: www.lgbt.ie
TENI Helpline (Transgender Support)
T: 085 147 7166 | W: www.teni.ie
© 2019 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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