A Perspective on Being Trans in Northern Ireland
Flavia Gouveia
Mál Farrell, who recently came out as trans and is a part of Mid Ulster Pride, spoke to The Scoop about his journey and the need for more investment in gender-affirming care and support for the trans community.
Speaking about his own transition, Mál said “I only came out as trans about three months ago, and before that, I was non-binary. I always viewed gender as a very fluid thing, I never felt particularly attached to being a female. I knew that for definite.”
“What I think is a huge challenge, particularly for those who are really young and LGBT, is that there is such pressure to have a label and know who you are. It is so unreasonable, these things take time.”
Speaking of this pressure on young people to define themselves, Mál said “that pressure on young people to know who they are, that pressure on anybody really, is really unfair.”
He added, “people in the LGBT community have high suicide rates, for so many different reasons, but that constant high expectation doesn’t help”. A 2020 report found that young LGBTQ+ people were four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers.
Long waiting lists for gender-affirming care are a reality for trans people living in Northern Ireland. People can wait up to five or seven years to be seen for an initial consultation, with waiting times for surgery even longer due to the processes in place.
“There are nights when I can’t look at my reflection because my reflection is so physically wrong to how I feel. ”
The waiting lists are hard for those who are left waiting. Mál spoke of his own experiences and said “it is absolutely devastating. There are nights when I can’t look at my reflection because my reflection is so physically wrong to how I feel. So you are sitting in a house trying at all costs not to see your own reflection and then having to go outside and being called ‘love’ or ‘sweetheart’ because people see and they see a girl.”
“It’s really hard and it is really devastating, but there are also the strange moments where someone, maybe unintentionally, catches on that you are not the gender you look and those moments can be really sweet.”
Developing the existing services requires political action and will. While the collapsed executive poses obvious challenges, Mál said “there are people in politics who care. It is important to recognise that they are trying, but the issues do come down to a lack of funding.”
He added, “ these things don’t happen overnight”.
While the political landscape remains uncertain, Mál did allude to certain changes which should be prioritised .
“Northern Ireland does not have the Equality Act of 2010 and that is a huge factor because that Act deals with discrimination and protects people from being discriminated against in both their place of work and society.”
The Act which is in place in England, Scotland and Wales prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender reassignment. It provides protection to anyone identifying as trans from harassment and bullying. The Act currently does not apply to Northern Ireland
Mál added, “Another change would be employing more people in the gender clinic so that they can actually see people. It’s really just about giving people more services, instead of breaking the back of the services that are already there.”
Recognising that there is still work to be done, Mál left this message for trans people in Northern Ireland:
“You’re perfectly valid and you have a right to exist. You have the right to have a quiet life. Your life doesn’t have to be a continual struggle.”
“One of the most underrated forms of activism is staying alive because that is one less voice lost. It’s another story that we can talk about, and another story that is saved. Be the story.”
“Going out to the street lobbying, placards, all that form of activism is great, but one of the most underrated forms of activism is staying alive because that is one less voice lost. It’s another story that we can talk about, and another story that is saved. Be the story.”
Flavia Gouveia is The Scoop’s Science and Environment Editor and is studying an MA in Journalism at Ulster University.