NXF calls for wider support of Trans and non-binary folks on Trans Day of Visibility 2022

To mark Trans Day of Visibility 2022 the NXF (National LGBT Federation) has issued a statement highlighting the need for solidarity.

News . Written by NXF.

To mark Trans Day of Visibility 2022, the NXF have released a statement. The photograph shows the heads of protesters at a demonstration with the Progressive Pride flag waving.
Image: Oriel Frankie Ashcroft

We at the National LGBT Federation want to take the opportunity on this Trans Day of Visibility 2022 to celebrate, and affirm our commitment to supporting, Trans and non-binary communities across Ireland and the world. Increasing the visibility of these communities is crucial to creating a world that challenges gender norms and liberates us all from outdated stereotypes of masculinity and femininity.

To achieve this, we have to create a supportive environment in which to be visible and that has to start within our own community. There cannot be space for transphobia in our communities if we are to challenge transphobia beyond our communities. So we, again and unequivocally, say to our Trans and non-binary siblings that we support you.

Research that we published recently suggests that we are not alone in Irish society in supporting you. However, this support will mean little unless it translates into government action, for which we and our fellow LGBT+ community organisations will continue to fight.

Visibility was a core theme in our recent research on public attitudes towards LGBT+ communities in Ireland. There was a clear association between how often the survey participants interacted with lesbian, gay, bi or Trans and non-binary people and how they perceived these identities – the more visible these identities were to the survey participants, the more positive their attitudes towards these identities.

Notably, while 54% of the survey participants reported that they frequently interact with people who they know are lesbian, gay or bi, only 9% of them reported frequently interacting with people who they know are Trans. Obviously, this is not just a simple matter of there being fewer Trans and non-binary people in Ireland – there are structural barriers to societal inclusion for Trans and non-binary people, within our health system, our education system and our legal system, that help to maintain transphobic ideas in our culture. Addressing this discrepancy in visibility and inclusion requires urgent action to make Irish society a more welcoming place in which to be Trans or non-binary.

Our recent research suggests that the government would be supported by the public in addressing many of the structural barriers that Trans and non-binary people face in Irish society. For example, our survey showed that 55% of participants agreed that government should introduce a system of gender recognition for children of any age on the basis of parental consent for those under 16 and self−declaration for those over 16.

The majority (65%) also agreed that the government should establish legal gender recognition for people who are non−binary. There was clear support for ideas that challenge the binary and biological basis of gender to which those who oppose Trans rights cling. For example, almost three-quarters of the sample agreed that gender is a complicated issue, and it does not always match up with biological sex.

Some insist that there is a “silent majority” in society that oppose Trans and non-binary rights. If this group actually existed in Irish society, our survey would have been an excellent opportunity for them to make their voices heard. Instead, the survey participants asserted support for Trans and non-binary people.

For Trans Day of Visibility 2022, these findings should be considered by the Irish government as a mandate to improve Trans healthcare, deliver Trans rights and, ultimately, ensure Trans and non-binary people are included in Irish society.

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