Content warning: contains mentions of suicide, violence and transphobia.
On this year’s Trans Day of Visibility, Trans & Intersex Pride Dublin is organising a demonstration in Dublin to demand justice for and remember “all those affected by transphobic violence and all violence by the far-right”. The community will gather at the Dáil on Friday, March 31, at 6pm.
As Trans & Intersex Pride Dublin stated in its social media post, “The last few years have been some of the deadliest on record for trans people and queer people as a whole”. In the last few months, news outlets all over the world reported on the brutal deaths of two young trans women, Brianna Ghey and Eden Knight.
16-year-old Brianna Ghey was found dead on the afternoon of February 11 in Linear Park, England, where her body was discovered with multiple stab wounds. Two local teens were arrested in connection with the murder, and the trial date has been set to July 10, 2023. Brianna’s death prompted the LGBTQ+ community in the UK and Ireland to organise vigils to mourn the loss.
23-year-old Eden Knight died by suicide after allegedly being forced to ‘de-transition’ by her family. In an essay published online before her death, she detailed how, while she was living in the US, she was manipulated by so-called ‘fixers’ hired by her family, who coerced her into ‘de-transitioning’ and brought her back to her home country, Saudi Arabia. Her death was confirmed on March 13 by multiple reports.
As Trans & Intersex Pride Dublin said, “None of these incidents happen in isolation and none can be separated from the wider trans moral panic constantly hammered by both the media and political establishment”. Far-right and anti-trans rhetoric is gaining momentum in many parts of the world, such as the UK, which in 2022 was condemned as a “country of concern” for trans people by the Council of Europe; or the US, where many Republican-led legislatures are adopting harmful legislation banning gender-affirming healthcare or prohibiting vital discussions on queer identities.
In Ireland, a report published last year found that far-right groups with anti-LGBTQ+ agendas have grown in recent years. These groups use narratives of “protecting the children” from “groomers”, a term they use to portray queer people as predatory and thus justify violence against them.
According to the latest statistics released by An Garda Síochána, there has been a 29% increase in the number of hate crimes and hate-related incidents reported in Ireland in 2022 compared to last year. As their data shows, the LGBTQ+ community was the second most targeted group, after racial minorities.
“We are reminded once again true change will only come from a grassroots, multi-ethnic, multi-gendered movement that can effectively challenge transphobia, homophobia, racism, the housing crisis, the healthcare crisis and every other crisis the neoliberal policies of Fine Gael, Fíanna Fáil and the Green Party have caused,” Trans & Intersex Pride Dublin stated.
People are invited to join the demonstration organised in Dublin on Trans Day of Visibility and are encouraged to bring flags, banners, signs and candles to show solidarity with the trans community.
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