Taoiseach Leo Varadkar called for a public “discussion and debate” on transgender rights, noting the “genuine questions people are asking”, reports Irish Times.
But he said the debate should be conducted in such a way as to acknowledge that trans people are a small minority and that many of them “are very vulnerable people”.
Mr Varadkar said: “I really hate that idea of them being targeted as people who are a threat to children or a threat to others. They are no more a threat to others than any other group in society and I really hope people will avoid straying into that space”, reports Irish Times.
Speaking to reporters in Delgany, Co Wicklow, Mr Varadkar said: “I don’t like to see people talking about them as if somehow they are a threat to others, they are no more a threat to others than people who aren’t trans or straight people or gay people,” reports Irish Times.
Mr Varadkar said there “are genuine questions people are asking, there are parents at the moment who have trans girls and trans boys and they are struggling to work out what is best for their kids”. He said there are people who have children in school who have a trans child in the class “and a lot of this is new to people”, reports Irish Times.
The Taoiseach said he did not believe the debate would have an impact on a constitutional referendum on gender equality and the removal of constitutional reference to a woman’s place in the house, scheduled for November.
“I really don’t think it should have any impact on this year’s referendum. I am sure that people will try to make some sort of connection but I am sure it will be a pretty tenuous and bogus one”, he said, reports Irish Times.
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