Ireland will no longer be providing single sex toilets in primary and secondary schools!!!

[XXSex]

I am LIVID!!! New technical guidance has been released.
www.education.ie/en/School-Design/Technical-Guidance-Documents/Current-Technical-Guidance/sdg-02-06-sanitary-facilities-april-2021-.pdf

All mixed sex. Hand basin outside the WC (WAH your bloody hands in front of boys). Doors down to the floor (any one else see an issue in a mixed sex school with mixed sex toilets with this set up)

What the were the department thinking?!!!

Ffs!! How confusing for children :(

@Irishmom7

A couple of weeks ago the Ombudsman for Children sent round a questionnaire to Irish children via their schools. The first question was “are you a boy, a girl, or non-binary?” This was sent to primary schools too. There is no “non-binary” gender in Irish law. This is who the department is answerable to, and he is completely captured.

This is why it is so disturbing. The people who should be dealing with this have completely bought into it. There have been efforts to make non binary LEGAL recognised , but so far unsuccessfully (presumably due to the huge headache in actually defining it). So why is Niall Muldoon using it, and even worse, why is he targeting it to schoolchildren?

*legally,( not LEGAL).

Hi @irishmom7 I have been apoplectic with rageabout this survey since my school principal asked all teachers to encourage all our primary pupils to fill it out. Have mentioned it here previously. I don't know what to do about it. Between that and his article in the Sunday Indo I think we can forget about safeguarding here if this is what the Ombudsman for Children thinks.

I think we need an Irish branch of Transgender Trend. I know ‘The Countess’ has a schools working group and I don’t know if the Irish Women’s Lobby can help but it feels very much like there is nowhere to have our voices heard.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission can investigate this. They can force an Equality Impact Assessment to be undertaken.

Write to them at [email protected] asking for an inquiry to be undertaken and that girls rights and religious groups are negatively affected.

The more people that write in the more likely they are to do this.

Are girls rights actually protected in the Equality though?

*Equality Act

Gender is protected. So make of that what you wish.

@fireproofwitch

Are girls rights actually protected in the Equality though?

Yes. We have the Equal Status Act and gender is a protected ground.

Write to the IHREC and push this mixed sex toilet issue to be worked through. In a proper manner

@MnaWomanIreland What was the ICGP debacle at the beginning of the year?

[quote rivierliedje]@MnaWomanIreland What was the ICGP debacle at the beginning of the year?[/quote]
The ICGP write a guide for their GPs. It was written by a doctor who specialises in substance abuse and Vanessa Lacey (TENI). Vanessa has a phd in loss PhD exploring the experiences of adult transgender women and their families, in relation to grief and loss.

It stated that puberty blockers were reversible and hormone treatment was partially reversible. In children

Women wrote many many emails to them. They pulled it in a few days and have replaced it now. It is more accurate now with respect to blockers and cross sex hormones but is still misleading in other areas.

@MnaWomanIreland
But does gender actually protect girls though?
When the Equality Act was written it presumably meant sex. However, it actually says gender which I expect TENI would argue gives priority to how you identify.

www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2000/act/8/section/3/enacted/en/html#sec3

Section 3 (2)(a):

As between any two persons, the discriminatory grounds (and the descriptions of those grounds for the purposes of this Act) are:
(a) that one is male and the other is female (the “gender ground”),

@MnaWomanIreland

www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2000/act/8/section/3/enacted/en/html#sec3

Section 3 (2)(a):

As between any two persons, the discriminatory grounds (and the descriptions of those grounds for the purposes of this Act) are:
(a) that one is male and the other is female (the “gender ground”),

But since Self ID was introduced, is "male" and "female" based on identity or sex?

Yes agreed. The GRA made a mockery of this. In theory it only applies to those who have a GRC but the IHREC say that transgender is included in the gender ground.

I still think it’s worthwhile writing to them on the toilet issue. They can’t ignore this

100% agree. I feel so angry though that the law, as it stands, will always prioritise the feelings and validation of Transgender individuals over the discomfort any girl may experience.

For those who want to write to the IHREC - if you direct your query to the Section 35 Inquiry Working Group. This is the group set up under Section 35 of the IHREC Act.

The more people that ask for this to be done the more likely it will actually happen.

Suggested wording. Please personalise it slightly as too many of the same wording won’t have the same impact.

Subject: Section 35 Inquiry on the change in policy to provide unisex toilets in schools

Hi,

I am writing to you regarding the change in policy from the Department of Education regarding toilets. Previous policy was to have sex segregated toilets in schools. The current policy allows mixed sex toilets.

This change in policy has not undergone any Equality Impact Assessment by the Department.

I am requesting that the IHREC direct the Department to undertake this and, if necessary, amend the policy according to the results of the EqIA.

Kind regards,

@MnaWomanIreland

For those who want to write to the IHREC - if you direct your query to the Section 35 Inquiry Working Group. This is the group set up under Section 35 of the IHREC Act.

The more people that ask for this to be done the more likely it will actually happen.

Suggested wording. Please personalise it slightly as too many of the same wording won’t have the same impact.

Subject: Section 35 Inquiry on the change in policy to provide unisex toilets in schools

Hi,

I am writing to you regarding the change in policy from the Department of Education regarding toilets. Previous policy was to have sex segregated toilets in schools. The current policy allows mixed sex toilets.

This change in policy has not undergone any Equality Impact Assessment by the Department.

I am requesting that the IHREC direct the Department to undertake this and, if necessary, amend the policy according to the results of the EqIA.

Kind regards,

Excellent letter. Thank you.

@MnaWomanIreland Thank you. I completely missed that.

My FOI has been delayed by 4 weeks.

@MnaWomanIreland

My FOI has been delayed by 4 weeks.

Did you get any reason why?

When they get older (let's say grade 4 or 5) it's OK to separate the genders but at young age I don't think that this is needed. So I don't understand this agitation and this massive fight against that.

All you had to do was read the thread title: primary AND SECONDARY schools. Teenagers.