Sir, – With impeccable timing, Dublin Pride has managed to perform quite the contortionist’s act of biting the hand that feeds it, and shooting itself in both feet simultaneously.
They have managed to turn what was a legitimate conversation about the removal of the word “woman” from health literature into an accusation of hate-speech over the national airwaves.
I hold no brief for RTÉ, but anyone who listened to the three Liveline programmes on gender identity could not accuse the national broadcaster of discriminatory behaviour or promoting transphobia. All the people debating the issue completely supported the right for anyone to identify as they wished. Their argument was over the censoring of language and safe spaces for women.
RTÉ has, over the last number of years, been in the vanguard of supporting the LGBTQ+ community on its agenda. If anything, they could probably be accused of bias towards the organisation, which is admirable, but also possibly unrepresentative.
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We voted for equality in 2015, but equality means taking the bad with the good, and cannot mean shutting down debate on things that some people may find uncomfortable.
– Yours, etc,
NORMAN DAVIES,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.
A chara, – Trans Equality Together is rightly aggrieved by some of the content over the three Liveline programmes it mentions in its letter (Letters, 17th June).
But only some content. Not once was it possible to detect in the programmes a “co-ordinated group of organisations” voicing objection to trans people’s “basic humanity and rights”.
What could be discerned clearly were ordinary callers deeply concerned in the main about their daughters’ (and women in general) health and safety in spaces reserved for girls and women. The signatories also state that Trans Equality Together defends “freedom of expression”. Well, obviously not for everyone.
In light of the above, it was and is surprising to see the National Women’s Council of Ireland among this particular co-ordinated group of organisations. – Yours, etc,
PETER DECLAN
O’HALLORAN,
Belturbet, Co Cavan.