Minister slams RTÉ’s ‘bizarre’ trans show
Doherty launches attack as doctors criticise plans to let children change gender
RTÉ’S controversial documentary on transgender children, shown this week, has been described as ‘bizarre’ by the Social Protection Minister.
Regina Doherty launched her stinging attack on the show, as she looks at legal changes to give teenagers greater freedom to declare their own gender, changes which have been criticised by doctors who specialise in this area.
The documentary, Generation Gender, drew a slew of complaints. Even before it was broadcast, it attracted 500 complaints about its line-up, which included Father Ted creator Graham Linehan.
Tuesday’s programme, the second most watched Prime Time report this season, focused on young people who want to change their gender, and had ten contributors representing a range of views. Some trans people said it was largely one-sided and objected to Linehan, who had concerns about children who may not be mature enough to determine whether they should change their sex.
He said: ‘You do not tell kids that they have been born into the wrong body just as you don’t tell anorexics that they are fat.’ In taking a swipe at the show, Ms Doherty told the Irish Mail on Sunday that the media had a duty to avoid ‘sensationalism and exploitation when reporting the issue’. She said: ‘The issue of gender identity is complex, sensitive and of a very personal nature. There is a lot of ignorance around it – for example, many people have conflated the issue of recognition (and the ability to register as one sex or another) with the right to undergo gender reassignment and surgery.’ However, Irish doctors who specialise in this area disagree with this view, saying those who receive gender recognition certificates without a medical or psychiatric diagnosis could use that documentation abroad to seek medical treatment, which could have serious consequences. The review of the 2015 Gender Recognition Act, which the minister commissioned, has recommended extending legal gender recognition to people under the age of 18, along with removing the need for a psychiatric assessment, sparking the serious concerns among doctors.
Professional Donal O’Shea, who runs the gender dysphoria clinic at Loughlinstown Hospital, Dublin, said young people may not be best equipped to decide whether they need surgery. He said: ‘There needs to be great caution before proceeding to anything that is irreversible. We are seeing the downsides and my heart sinks because we are left picking up the pieces.’
The minister has said she is awaiting legal advice from the Attorney General before she decides to proceed with legislation.