Ireland: Trans woman awarded compensation after 17-year gender recognition legal battle
A transgender women has been awarded €50,000 (£39,000) in compensation, after settling a battle for gender recognition with the Irish government.
Dr Lydia Foy, a 67-year-old dentist, first launched proceedings in the 1990s, arguing for her right to a female birth certificate and legal gender recognition.
Her battle has spanned three decades, and three separate cases across innumerable courts – but last week she announced the government had finally agreed to recognise her gender.
The State announced its intention to enact the Gender Recognition Bill 2014, which would bring Irish law in line with that of other countries by legally recognising the gender of trans people in all dealings with the State, public bodies, and civil and commercial society.
According to the Irish Times, as part of the settlement Dr Foy was awarded over €50,000 in compensation. She had been sweeking damages for humiliating and degrading treatment, a breach of her rights, and personal injuries.
At present, Irish law has no process for recognising that transgender people do not identify as their birth gender.
State lawyer Nicholas Butler SC said the Government’s “expressed intention” was to publish the bill by the end of this year, with the “firm intention” to enact it “as soon as possible in 2015″.
