WHAT’S THE T IN IRELAND?

On November 16, 2015, same-sex marriage officially became legal in Ireland. That day was a huge step for Ireland and really showed a sense of community within the young and old people of our country. We can not stop here though. If we are to represent ourselves as an LGBTQI+ friendly country we can not forget about the transgender people of our community. Indeed we took another huge step forward when The Gender Recognition Act was passed on July 15, 2015. This allowed people to identify as whatever gender they wish and to apply for a new birth certificate.

I was very lucky to get the chance to talk to Noah Halpin, founder of ‘This Is Me’ campaign (Noah emphasized that this was named before The Greatest Showman lol) and Kye Manning, one of my best friends, who was the one to introduce me to and educate me on this topic. To sit with Noah and Kye and to understand their stories broke my heart but made my passion for change even stronger. 

Noah knew from the age of three that there was something different about him. “My very first memory of anything gender-variant would be when I was three, with a friend of mine in playschool, I was at his house and as little kids do, we were out in the garden and he dropped his pants and said “look at my willy!” and I said “Mine is just growing” So I obviously knew when I was three that something was different but I didn’t have the words to articulate it till I was about fifteen maybe”. 

Kye explained to me ”As a kid, I didn’t feel that much discomfort in my body, I think that is because when you are little there isn’t much difference in your body. When I first started to hit puberty was when I first started to feel that discomfort. I can remember the first day that I noticed that I had started to develop a chest and that for me was the first time I started to feel really uncomfortable in my own body” 

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) would be one of the first steps into the transition. This process alone may take 1 – 2 years as the individual must go through multiple screenings with both a psychologist and psychiatrist and receive two diagnoses before a consultant will see them about HRT. Another shocking fact is that there are only three endocrinologists in Ireland who will prescribe HRT to adults. Waiting lists can cause people to take matters into their own hands and purchase hormones online on the black market. This leads to unhealthy hormone changes and the lack of knowledge on how to take it. Thus, a hormone imbalance leading to mental health issues and possible suicidal thoughts. 

Noah told me about him starting testosterone and how he was given the injections yet was not told how to take them. After visits to GP’s, nurses etc. no one could help him but Youtube! For Noah’s first 10 months he also received the wrong testosterone dosage, leading him to raise the issue at the clinic and get a higher dosage. Unfortunately, even with this higher dosage, Noah is still not getting the correct amount of testosterone that he should. “It was actually a sexual health nurse that said to me “It’s an oil so you have to inject it really slowly” whereas I was just doing it really fast”.

Despite this, Noah still feels very happy with the results he has seen in himself since taking testosterone “I started taking it (testosterone) in October 2018, it was the best thing I’ve ever done. You start noticing every tiny little change. The first hair that appears on your face and you’re staring at it. The first voice drop. It has only been positive changes for me. I’m still changing every-day”.

As well as hormone treatment, surgery is the next big step for every trans person. There are no top surgery providers or any gender affirmation surgery providers in Ireland leading to the uncomfortable process of having to go abroad, attempting to speak a language they do not know and needing loved ones to come abroad for both mental and physical support. This is very similar to Irelands 8th amendment that was thankfully rid in May 2018. This pushed individuals to foreign countries, creating an isolating experience around an already difficult decision. Many people cannot afford flights and accommodation to other countries, this lack of access to health care is shocking and something that we changed in the past for a better future for the women of Ireland and now it is time to improve the lives of the transgender people of Ireland as well. 

YOU can help by writing to TD’s, following campaigns such as This Is Me, attending protests and meetings, tweeting and posting on social media. It is up to us, the people of Ireland to make this country and it’s people unified, safe and loved.

KYE MANNING Q&A

Where did the inspiration for the name change come from?

I really wanted to keep the first letter of my name because I thought it would be easier to sign papers etc as ‘K Manning’ but then I actually ended up using only all letters from my old name 

What are your opinions on the Irish social view of being trans?

I think it’s a bit of a mixed bag really, some negative views and some positive. I think that people are really not aware of how bad trans health care in Ireland is 

What advice would you give to someone who is scared or anxious to come out to family or people of high importance in their life?

It’s hard to give advice because everyone’s situation is different. One thing I would say is to take your time, figure out what you want to say and how you want to say it. For me personally, I wrote a letter and read that out loud. I felt this was easier because I had something to look down at, it helped me to get all my points across in one go, everything I wanted to say and helped me overcome the nerve. Be open to hearing people out, be patient if they don’t react the way you want straight away and just remember that your own feelings are the most important

NOAH HALPIN

Where did the inspiration for the name change come from?

A lot of trans people will say they mulled over a lot of names but for me, it just happened one day, I’ve always liked the name and that’s what I called myself. I also knew how long it was going to be to get health care so I knew even identifying as a guy I was going to be doing that for a long time before I ever looked like one so I didn’t want to choose anything that was overly masculine like ‘Stephen’ or ‘John’ because I didn’t look like those names before I started hormones so I wanted to pick a soft name not so much a gender-neutral name but something soft that people won’t do three double-takes when you say it. It was something that would suit me before the medical transition and suit me after it. 

What are your opinions on the Irish social view of being transgender? 

Society wise I think we are generally a very safe country to be trans in. Walking down the street as a trans person in Ireland is not as unsafe as in many other countries. We don’t have a huge rate of violence towards trans people. There is more homophobia than transphobia.

What advice would you give to someone who is scared or anxious to come out to family or people of high importance in their life?

I would say everyone’s case is different. Assess the safety aspect, if you’re in a home that you know it is going to be difficult and there is going to be violence maybe you might be safer to come out when you are out of that environment. I have never met anybody who regrets coming out, it is the best thing I’ve ever done. I was about 22 but I only managed to get health care when I was 27.