Here's what I wrote - slightly modified from the post from Custard
Dear
I am contacting you, as a female representative of the Dail, which has been underrepresented by women, to the detriment of women, since the foundation of the state.
As you are aware, the Gender Recognition Act of 2015 was brought in to allow people, who identified as the opposite gender to their biology, to change their gender, in a manner which removed the need for a medical diagnosis. Worryingly, there is no requirement on an applicant, to have taken, or plan to take, any hormonal therapy or surgery. It also appears to be a system based entirely on trust and on the principles of the Yogyakarta Principles, which, I have been advised, have no legal basis.
Given the potential impact on women, and girls, in areas such as single sex spaces, which are provided for safety, I would like to enquire what risk assessments were done when this legislation was implemented? Were any Women's rights groups involved in the planning of the legislation? Would you be able to access under FOI, the report into the impact on Women's prisons; Women's refuges; Rape Crisis centres;
As those with a GRA certificate are legally women ( even if biologically unchanged), what safeguarding measures are in place to ensure girls are not placed at risk of sexual predators who may use this legislation to their advantage?
I would also wish to draw your attention to the worrying cases, already in the media, of Barbie Kardashian, and of a sex offender with multiple convictions, currently housed in Limerick prison, both of whom obtained GRA certificates on the basis of simply identifying as women. Who is advocating for the rights of the women in the prison - the women who come from the most disadvantaged sectors of society and are already disadvantaged, now housed in a prison with male bodied inmates.
As there are plans in the programme for government to expand legislation to under 18s, what measures are in place to prevent biological males participating in women's sport, to the detriment of girls and women. What measures are in place to ensure that girls are not put in a position in schools of sharing changing rooms, or toilets with biological males? I noted that the new Educate Together second level school in Dublin North has determined, without parental input, to only have gender neutral toilets. What safeguards have been put in place in the education sector for teenage girls who are having their period or other female related hygiene issues?
I would also appreciate your opinion on the decision of the HSE to remove the word woman from its cervical screening website. Given that research has shown 40% of women are unaware they have a cervix this would appear to put marginalised women, with poor literacy skills, or with English as a second language, at greater risk. From the HSE website:
"Every year in Ireland about 300 people get cervical cancer. 90 women die from it. In women aged 25 to 39 years, cervical cancer is the second most common cause of death due to cancer"
And yet, there was no cause for concern that these women would be discouraged or even upset by the wording used in the HSE communication to encourage women to access cervical health screening. I wish to point out that Transmen are well catered for, and in no way excluded, on the same website.