IrishTimes.com – Carol Coulter – Legal Affairs Editor
There is a need for urgent reform of Irish law relating to transgendered people, according to the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC).
Transgendered people are those who have had gender reassignment surgery and treatment, having being diagnosed with gender identity disorder. This is a recognised medical disorder where a person’s psychological identity and physical characteristics diverge.
Under current law a transgendered person cannot have a birth certificate issued with his or her new gender, and does not have the right to marry in that identity. However, in 2008, following a High Court case, the Oireachtas enacted the Passports Act 2008 which recognised a person’s right to have a passport issued in his or her new gender.