Sinn Féin members fear party is about to reverse course on trans rights
SINN FÉIN HAS seen a number of long-time members leave the party over a belief that the party is set to water down its support for LGBT+ issues, in particular on rights for transgender people.
The party was set to hold a conference next month to specifically discuss its stance on trans rights, but it confirmed last night to
The Journal
that it has instead pushed the meeting back to next spring.
This surprise move came on foot of meetings with LGBT+ groups, combined with resistance from current members of Sinn Féin.
Several current and former members from an LGBT+ background who spoke to
The Journal
in recent days voiced 'huge concern' over the party's direction as they fear it's being engulfed by
culture wars in Ireland
.
They had also sought clarity on whether the party still supports the law that gives legal recognition to a person's preferred gender.
The party supported the 2015 Gender Recognition Act – and proposed its own version two years earlier – and also campaigned in support of the Marriage Equality referendum. However heated online debates and misinformation aimed at undermining trans people, coupled with comments made by two Sinn Féin TDs, have led some members to believe the party will seek to reverse course on trans rights.
Sinn Féin has responded to the concern by meeting with LGBT+ groups, but it's understood there remains unhappiness among some members over its stance.
When contacted, the party said that it will continue to hold meetings with LGBT+ groups 'across the island' in the months to come.
'Every opportunity to engage, exchange views and listen is hugely valuable to us and these meetings will continue in the time ahead,' a spokesperson said.
UK ruling sees issues come to the fore for Sinn Féin
The issue blew up for Sinn Féin recently after its
health spokesperson David Cullinane
said a ruling by the Scottish Supreme Court – that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in UK equality legislation do not include transgender women – was a 'common sense judgment'.
Trans groups have been strongly critical of the Scottish Supreme Court's findings, with opposition also coming from a
recent motion by a British doctors union
calling the ruling 'scientifically illiterate'.
Cullinane posted his thoughts on social media before later deleting them and apologising. But it was quickly followed by Sinn Féin's chief whip Pádraig Mac Lochlainn telling Highland Radio in Donegal that 'we need to have the conversation' surrounding trans rights in Ireland, saying 'the legislation isn't clear'.
That last point was cited by a number of current party members we spoke to who feared it was 'flying the kite' for a potential change to the party's previous support.
I want to apologise for the hurt and offence that I have caused to the Trans community following a tweet I sent last night. That was never my intention. This is a complex issue for many but we need to approach it with compassion, understanding and dignity for all.
— David Cullinane T.D. (@davidcullinane)
April 17, 2025
Cullinane's comments saw the party threatened with being
banned from Trans Pride
Dublin
if it didn't roll back on what he said.
The party has also faced fierce criticism when, as the co-lead party in the Stormont executive, passed a temporary ban on puberty medication for transgender youth last year.
Some party members said Cullinane attempted to 'make amends' in recent weeks by discussing trans rights with members, but one former member who is transgender said they are concerned that Sinn Féin may soon take a harder stance.
'I worry that we were just a political football rather than an actual belief for them,' said Caitlin Wilson, who was a member in west Belfast for seven years until she left last year.
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Wilson said that 'anti-trans rhetoric' is at an 'all-time high' in the modern era across western Europe and the US, and that political parties needed to stand against it.
This 'silence' amounts to 'complicity' from Sinn Féin and other political parties if there are rollbacks to equality legislation down the line, according to Wilson.
'Less trustworthy'
As well as Wilson,
The Journal
has found several long-serving members have also left the party over the issue. Some have decided to remain inside Sinn Féin to fight to maintain its current stance.
Orla Ní Dhúil – who left last year after 15 years of membership, having been in a Glasnevin-based cumman – said she has felt the party's 'confused' stance has had the effect of making them 'less trustworthy' to those interested in progressive politics.
Ní Dhúil outlined that she had contacted the party's senior spokespeople seeking an outline of the party's stance on trans rights and found the response frustrating, claiming little engagement on policy discussions for trans rights and other LGBT+ matters.
This was a marked change to 2013, Ní Dhúil said, when Sinn Féin proposed a Gender Recognition Bill to allow trans people to legally change gender markers through self-determination. The party later backed the 2015 Gender Recognition Act, laws giving people a right to self-declare their gender.
Among the rank and file, Wilson said she believed that members 'by and large' have little to no issue with trans people.
'I do not believe that Sinn Fein is an inherently transphobic party – I do believe they are a populist party,' Wilson said.
She added that she wants to see all parties have a 'pro-trans stance, which I very truly just means ensuring trans people have a standard level of care'. As
reported recently by
The Journal Investigates
, some transgender people have resorted to DIY-healthcare due to delays in the health system.
Party leader interview
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald weighed into the debate in the aftermath of her health frontbencher Cullinane's comments.
McDonald said that conversations about the rights of trans people need to be calm and respectful, while making reference to her own sister, who is a trans woman.
Speaking on The Late Late Show, McDonald said that Sinn Féin's position has not changed but that the implications of the UK Supreme Court ruling would need to be studied, particularly since it will impact Northern Ireland.
But the interview sparked concern among some members, with Kevin O'Hara, an election candidate at last year's local elections in Connemara, Co Galway, among those.
'Mary Lou's statement on the TV wasn't very clear,' said O'Hara, who also has a trans sibling.
It was very clear about how much she loves her sister but in terms of party policy, it wasn't clear. What I have been asking our elected reps is, what is Sinn Féin's policy on the Gender Recognition Act? Do we put support it? I haven't been able to find out yet.
O'Hara believes many people, whether living in a rural or urban area, have a 'live and let live' attitude to the issue.
This was why he was so shocked and disappointed at the recent statements by Sinn Fein spokespeople', adding that he believes they are 'jumping on every passing bandwagon'.
'It's a pity that this whole toxic debate has spread to this country, but given recent statements by Sinn Féin TDs I think Sinn Féin leadership needs to urgently clarify their position on this issue – so that members, supporters and trans people know where we stand.'
When contacted about whether Sinn Féin supports Ireland Gender Recognition Act, a spokesperson for the party said: 'Yes, the Gender Recognition Act is a matter of law since 2015.'
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