Question re Irish bill to amend GRA - no males in women's prisons

[ArabellaScott]

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2023/95/?highlight%5B0%5D=gender&highlight%5B1%5D=recognition&highlight%5B2%5D=amendment&highlight%5B3%5D=prisons&highlight%5B4%5D=bill&highlight%5B5%5D=2023&tab=debates

This bill passed stage one and nothing further seems to have happened since December. Can anyone enlighten me as to when it will move to Stage 2?

'Bill entitled an Act to amend the Gender Recognition Act 2015 to make provision for single-sex accommodation in prisons; and to provide for related matters.

I think the Irish government was furiously concentrating on getting their appalling surrogacy bill (and attempting to get the equally dreadful hate speech bill) through the Dáil and Seanad so they were happy to put almost everything else on the back burner. I have no proof that they would happily dawdle on the proposed bill in hopes it dies a death due to lack of time but they’re not exactly killing themselves to get it adequate time for discussion on the schedule are they?

arghh. I was trying not to think about that. It's so fucking horribly upsetting. Legalising, supporting and abetting child trafficking.

Arabella, I have felt dreadful ever since I watched them finagle the Surrogacy Bill through both houses - it’s disgraceful the manoeuvring that went on - if they insist that we need legislation like this then it needs proper and honest discussion and that didn’t happen.

Given our history with mother and baby homes etc, I’m revolted at how little the Irish State still thinks of women. It treats us with contempt while claiming to be feminist. A lot like your ‘Feminist to her fingertips’ former FM.

Yes. Jesus, it's depressing.

Who do you mean “feminist to her fingertips” former FM’? @UtopiaPlanitia

Happy to explain Drandthemedics - I was guilty of using shorthand there in my answer to Arabella.

The phrase 'feminist to my fingertips' was used by Nicola Sturgeon, former FM (First Minister) of Scotland, to describe herself when she was answering questions regarding the Gender Recognition Reform Bill in Scotland a few years ago.

There's a thread about it here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4234897-Nicola-Sturgeon-says-she-is-feminist-to-her-fingertips

With Barbie Kardashian now back in court it’s thoroughly depressing the Bill has been sitting at the second stage for over 10 months now 🫤

On the plus side, the judge denied Kardashian’s request that their GRC; original name; & the nature of the threats made (!!!) be kept from the jury.

Prosecution counsel, John O’Sullivan, BL, told the jury that the accused was born a male “with the birth name, Gabrielle Alejandro Gentile, to Venezuelan parents in Co Meath”.
“The accused has identified as a female, and, in June 2020 the accused changed names by deed poll to Barbie Kardashian, and successfully applied for a gender recognition certificate, and changed from male to female on the 18th of August, 2020,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
Trial of transgender woman accused of making threats in Limerick Prison begins – The Irish Times

A few points - although the headline says 'transgender woman', the text of the article manages to avoid using pronouns at all, as far as I can see.

This is an improvement, as the Irish Times has been resolutely pro-TRA in the past, either not reporting anything gender-critical, or giving the last word to trans groups.

Note that the prosecution says that the GRC meant that he
'changed from male to female' - not that he changed his legal gender, or even legal sex, but that he became female.

Having lost exclusive use of the world 'woman', we've been trying to hold on to 'female' as meaning biologically female, XX chromosomes and all that; but the meaning of 'female' is now compromised as well.

It’s the nonsense of a GRC in both the UK & Ireland, isn’t it - it lets people claim to be of the opposite sex. Over here they get given a new NHS number to match the sex they wish to be rather than the one they are & they can get a fecking BIRTH CERTIFICATE issued that claims they are the opposite sex & their parents registered them with their chosen name… they don’t even need one to get a passport that says they’re female 🤦🏻‍♀️

Thank goodness the judge chucked out the request that the full facts not be made available to the jury. If your one was up from the community for shoplifting the fact they were trans wouldn’t be relevant (but I bet it would be used by the defence to try to avoid a custodial sentence) but it absolutely fecking matters that it was a violent male individual was making [repeated] threats to rape & kill women, as opposed to another woman!

The Irish Times (cóip chartlannaithe) is a wee bit less forthcoming than The Irish Independent in their reporting of the trial, so if you don’t want to know the actual threats made, stick to the former. Looks as if someone is fibbing - & I don’t think it’s the prison officers.

At least multiple outlets are reporting this go round (eg RTÉ, The Irish Mirror & of course Gript). If you’re on TwiX, The Countess has people at Limerick Circuit Court to report on the trial.