A Fine Gael policy paper drafted for the government formation talks recommends changing laws to allow all children change their legal gender [1].
The report drafted by Fine Gael’s LGBT committee recommended that children aged 16-17 should be free to legally self-declare their own gender.
The committee, which includes Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as a member, also says laws need to be changed to allow even children under 16 change their gender with parental approval.
The 15-page report also recommends that the Gender Recognition Act 2015 be changed to “allow for the recognition of a gender other than male or female in law”.
It recommends that the next government should allow people who do not consider themselves either male or female to be permitted to mark X on their passports.
This would mean Irish passports would have three gender categories – male, female and X.
The policy paper also calls for changes to the Road Traffic Act to allow for the introduction of rainbow-coloured pedestrian crossings.
The committee also calls for an easing of restrictions on gay men who wish to donate blood.
It also called for so-called “conversion therapies” to be banned in Ireland and wants major legislative reforms to address the perceived lack of LGBT sex education in schools.