Madam, - Ann Marie Hourihane's column of June 2nd, though politely worded, expressed such pointed untruths that, had its topic been a more understood and less stigmatised minority, it would have never seen the light of day in Ireland's paper of record.
Referring to an Irish transsexual who made history when the State agreed to reissue her Group Intermediate and Leaving certificates, Ms Hourihane compared the situation to unnamed friends who "have been hiding their wedding photos, and a whole lot of other things for years", implying the intent was to erase history and past mistakes.
Hardly. The transsexual - let's call her "Ms T", for she remains unidentified - is simply trying to move forward with her life. As Ms Victoria Mullen previously stated in these pages, force Ms T to function in society as a woman with male documentation and you effectively remove that possibility.
Ms Hourihane clearly knows little about transsexuality, or she would have never trivialised Ms T's condition by summarising: "The boy wanted to become a woman. To this end, he changed his name by deed poll and underwent treatment to change his sex." Would that it were so easy! No years of misery and confusion, praying daily for deliverance from the interminable imprisonment of one's own mismatched body.
No initial, stumbling disclosures, probably first to the family GP, who - if you are lucky - won't respond with disgust and a curt refusal of treatment. No months of therapy, numerous painful surgeries, and staggering medical bills. No rage from loved ones, be they partner, parents, siblings, or children, accompanied often by abandonment and a ban against setting foot again in the family home.
In Ms Hourihane's fantasy, it seems, simply a wish and it all comes true. As for her concern for history's continuity, can we first admit no such solid certainty exists as "history"? Rather, we have an ever-changing tapestry of people's lives documented by artifacts that begin with a birth certificate. That California allowed me to change my name on everything, from my birth certificate to my master's degree simply ensures the historical record adheres as closely as possible to the truth of my life.
Moreover, my original birth certificate remains sealed, not "wiped from official memory", as implied by Ms Hourihane. It sits available to anyone with legitimate cause during my lifetime, and to everyone else after my death.
Ignorance and prejudice of the sort expressed by Ms Hourihane sadly hold sway over too much of Irish society. I thank Ms T, Mr Niall Crowley, the Equality Authority, and others who are fighting to change this and bring about equal opportunity for all in Ireland. - Yours, etc,
BRYNN CRAFFEY, Spokesperson, Transgender Equality Network Ireland, South Circular Road, Dublin.