Transcript of Annual - TENI
FINANCE 6
SUPPORT 6
HEALTHCARE 7
GIST 7
EDUCATION CONFERENCE 9
MISSION STATEMENT:
Transgender Equality Network Ireland Ltd. (TENI) is a non-profit
organisation supporting the trans community in Ireland. TENI seeks
to improve the situation and advance the rights and equality
of trans people and their families.
Our vision is an Ireland where trans people are understood,
accepted and respected, and can participate fully in all aspects of
Irish society. Ireland remains a place where it can be difficult
for trans people to lead safe, healthy and full lives. TENI is
dedicated to ending transphobia, including stigma, discrimination
and inequality and continues in the struggle for social, political
and legal recognition of trans people in Ireland.
STAFF
Family Support & Hannah Solley Education Officer
Administration Steven Harris Officer
Policy & Research Officer Ellen Murray (departed August
2019)
Administration Officer Andy Martin (departed March 2019)
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Vice Chair Cearbhall Turraoin
Company Secretary Fionnuala Power Finance Director Denise Breen
Director Dan O’ Connor
Director Lynne Tracey
Director Simon Blanckensee
Director Ben Power
Director Aoife Martin
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FOREWORD Hello and welcome to our 2018 Annual Report.
TENI has had an active and productive year. It’s also been an
interesting time for us. We have achieved much under sometimes
difficult circumstances.
TENI lost a number of key members of staff, with extensive
institutional knowledge and experience in supporting the trans
community and educating wider society. We would like to thank Andy,
Catherine, Ellen and Stephen for their hard work and dedication
throughout their time in TENI.
With reduced resources, the organisation has continued to build
upon its successes of the past; providing increased support for our
community and made significant achievements in all areas of our
work.
TENI hosted our 6th annual TransParenCI family residential weekend
in November 2018; held our first conference for educators in
February; launched the award-winning ‘Call It Out’ campaign in May;
and welcomed our community and the general public to the
TRAN-FUSION arts festival in June. TENI was recently awarded
funding through the Mná na hEireann, Women of Ireland Fund, which
will see us taking on a three-year project aimed at getting trans
women into employment. This is just one of many exciting projects
on the horizon for TENI.
We want to thank the current TENI staff for their commitment over
the past couple of months. Gordon,
Hannah, Keeva Lilith and Steven have been flexible, imaginative and
passionate, guaranteeing TENI can maintain its output, meet demands
and achieve its goals, but most of all, setting the foundations of
things to come.
We are looking to the future. TENI was formed by the community,
formed for the community and must listen and support our community
in every endeavour. Ireland has changed so much since we started.
TENI has been central to that change and will continue to be. In
many ways, Ireland is now a world leader in trans legal rights, yet
our community is often still marginalised in society. The
healthcare system has taken a step backwards, to a time when trans
identities were pathologized. As the World Health Organisation
removes Gender Dysphoria from the mental health sections of the
International Classification of Diseases (ICD11), Ireland continues
to see being trans as a psychiatric condition.
We have an opportunity to change this. As TENI commences our 5-year
strategic plan, we need to hear your opinions, listen to your needs
and ensure you have every opportunity to be involved. We will be
reconnecting, improving our communication, stepping out of our
office, inviting you in and reaching out across the country to hear
and include the voices of every member of our beautiful, diverse
community.
Denise Breen, Gordon Grehan & Sara R Phillips TENI Interim
Management Team
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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The TENI Board of Directors consists of 12 voluntary activists,
drawn from many parts of a diverse community. As a Board we try to
ensure that this diversity is as broad as we can achieve, ensuring
both young and old voices, diverse gender identities, parents,
allies and as important, the key skill sets to run an organisation
like ours, are available to us. The Board give of their time
freely, provide passionate opinion and support the work of the
staff where and when necessary. 2018 saw 4 new members elected to
the Board and 2019 will see continued change at Board level, with 6
seats available. This will bring new challenges, embedding new
voices, new ideas to the Board table. Over the past 12 months, with
so many discussions, so many changes, the Board has focused on
supporting our staff, identifying a strategic vision, establishing
a reconnection to the community and more recently, resetting the
clock. The remainder of 2019 and into 2020, we will concentrate on
creating a strategic plan for the next 5 years. This is well
overdue and necessary to provide clear guidance to the work of our
operations and staff.
As we approach another annual election process, we find ourselves
saying goodbye to 2 Board members who have served the community
over the past 6 years. Both have dedicated their time and
commitment with a fervent attitude and belief that our community,
our family should no longer be marginalised. I want to thank both
of them for their commitment, passion and dedication to TENI and
our community.
Fionnuala Power has served as a Director and Company Secretary
since June 2013. Fionnuala also served, for a number of years, on
the Governance committee and as the Chair of the Human Resources
Committee, giving of her time freely at critical moments throughout
her tenure. She provided crucial counsel to me as Chair and her
experience and steadfastness will be missed.
Simon Blanckensee has brought enthusiasm and zeal as a Director of
the Board since his co-option in September 2013. Simon has been
significant to the success of many of the events we have run over
the
past 6 years. He has always been the first to volunteer in all our
endeavours and has been indispensable in ensuring Transfusion has
been a success for the past 7 years. Simon will be missed on the
Board but no doubt will continue to volunteer with TENI into the
future.
Sara R Phillips TENI Chair
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FINANCE
Due to circumstances beyond our control, the organisation has not
been able to complete the 2018 audit in time for the Annual General
Assembly. Due to changes in staffing and delays in the preparation
of our internal accounts, the final accounts are not available for
our auditors to audit. The interim management committee will make
every effort to complete our accounts over the coming weeks and
audited accounts are duly lodged with the company’s office.
TENI’s financial situation over the past 12 months has been stable
and as we begin to consolidate and rebuild, we will need to embed
some of our funding streams and stabilise our cashflow. 2020 will
be a challenging year with the ending of a number of funds.
However, we will continue to diversify and identify new funding
streams as before. Financially the future will remain challenging
but we are confident that we will achieve our goals and continue to
build on the work we do.
Denise Breen Finance Director
SUPPORT
TENI is often the first point of contact for people seeking
support. We provide support in many forms including online, over
the phone and in person. People contact us for many reasons. They
may be a trans person looking for advice regarding their own
transition or they may be someone calling on behalf of a friend or
family member; a parent whose child has just come out to them and
needs some advice and reassurance; or a crossdresser who is seeking
information and to connect with others because they may not have
the support they need at home. Sometimes we even hear from a
support worker or carer who wants to do the best they can to
support their client. Whatever a person’s needs, we are here to
listen, to reassure them, and to signpost them toward the
appropriate services where necessary.
“I enjoy all areas of my work, but the most rewarding part for me
is that I get to help people in my community. I am often the first
point of contact for someone seeking support and, whether that be a
trans person or a family member; it’s a real privilege to be able
to offer help and reassure someone going through a difficult time
in their life.”
Steven Harris Administrative Officer
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HEALTHCARE
Healthcare remains a priority for TENI. We are participating in the
Steering Committee on the Development of HSE Transgender Identity
Service. The aim of this Committee is to “develop a seamless and
integrated service for those who present with gender identity
issues with clear pathways of care such that the needs of the
patient and their families at the centre of service
delivery”.
One of the key parts of TENI’s healthcare work is educating
healthcare professionals. We continued to deliver HSE-funded
training this year. In six months, 24 full-day trainings were
delivered across Ireland. The objective of these trainings is to
upskill healthcare professionals and inform them of evidence-based,
international best practice.
“I am delighted to be back and part of a re-energised team TENI. We
have had a very positive year in terms of healthcare, education and
family support. In terms of healthcare, it has been a series of
great wins but they are often coupled by the incomprehensible
delays and the solely psychiatric focus on trans healthcare”
GIST
TENI’s Gender Identity Skills Training (GIST) is part of a strategy
to develop a regional service of trans healthcare. In 2017, we
developed this training model in partnership with both
international and national trans healthcare providers, with funding
from the HSE. The initial 3-day training in 2017 was oversubscribed
and the evaluations were extremely positive. We presented the GIST
model at the European Professional Association of Transgender
Healthcare (EPATH) Conference 2019 and it was well received by
international experts. We are also delighted that GIST will be
delivered in November 2019, again funded by HSE. GIST is now a
3-day training focused on the healthcare needs of trans children,
adolescents, adults and their families. We plan to apply for
further funding for GIST to ensure this is an annual training
event.
OUR HEALTHCARE LETTER
Late September and early October saw a number of articles and
interviews across Irish newspapers and radio - not all of which
were positive. Some commentators likened the exchange to a “war” -
language which is not helpful. In response to various media
requests, TENI published a Healthcare Statement which outlined our
position. At the time of publication of this Annual Report the
Statement has attracted over 1,000 individual and organisational
signatories.
I am delighted to be back and part of a re-energised team TENI. We
have had a very positive year in terms of healthcare, education and
family support. In terms of healthcare, it has been a series of
great wins but they are often coupled by the incomprehensible
delays and the solely psychiatric focus on trans healthcare.
Vanessa Lacey Health & Education Manager
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TENI HEALTHCARE STATEMENT
Recently, a lot of attention has been focused on healthcare for
trans people. Often this commentary is unhelpful, and even
damaging. The media is not the appropriate space for this
discussion. Every trans person has the right to essential
healthcare. This is not up for debate.
Trans people deserve appropriate, accessible and timely healthcare;
care that is person-centred and based on international best
practice. Ireland’s healthcare system is not meeting the needs of
our community. This has a negative impact on our mental wellbeing.
We are waiting too long, we are navigating an often inaccessible
system and our identities are being questioned.
This must change.
A lot of work must be done to make this change happen. TENI is
committed to doing that work. We are participating in the HSE
Transgender Identity Service Steering Committee, which aims to
develop a seamless and integrated service for transgender people in
Ireland. Since TENI began, we have, and will continue to, engage
with all necessary stakeholders, not least the trans community
itself, to ensure that we achieve the change we need to see.
TENI was founded by our community to serve our community, and we
will continue to advocate on its behalf. In many respects, Ireland
can be proud of the rights it has afforded its trans citizens. Many
countries look to us as a role model. We believe that Ireland can
also lead the way in healthcare. You can help us to make this
belief a reality. The time for change is now.
Please show your support for a better healthcare service for trans
people by signing your name and/or your organisation’s name in the
comments below.
October 2019
TENI LGBT Ireland This Is Me - Transgender Healthcare Cam- paign
Irish Trans Support Alliance - ITSA Dublin Trans Peer Support Group
Trans Pride Dublin BeLonG To ShoutOut Outhouse LGBT+ Community
Resource Centre Gender Rebels Cork Intersex Ireland Youth Work
Ireland Gay Men’s Health Service Stonewall UK National LGBT
Federation Hate and Hostility Research Group ACT UP Dublin ESB Bank
of Ireland Abortion Rights Campaign Sex Workers Alliance of
Ireland
ABRAI – Intersex Brazil Association ABRAI - Intersex Brazil
Association Queer Greens / Glasa Aiteacha Connolly Youth Movement
Standing 4 Women* Queer Health Limerick Institute of Technology
NCAD NUI Galway University of Limerick Dublin City University
University College Dublin Technical University Dublin Limerick
Institute Of Technology IT Sligo Trinity College Dublin LGBTQ
Society People Before Profit Green Party Socialist Party Labour
Youth Dublin Bay North Labour Party Social Democrats Trinity
College Labour Party
Transgender Strategies Consulting, LLC University College Cork
Maynooth University OutLaw Network Dreamfeel Arthur Cox Dublin
Lesbian Line University of Nottingham Feminist Ire Parents for
Choice LINC Gossip GCN Irish Maternity Support Network University
of Amsterdam Accenture Bi+ Ireland Cork LGBT Archive The Rainbow
Project Lesbian Lawyers Network University of Bristol Dundalk for
Change
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EDUCATION AND FAMILY SUPPORT
This year saw Hannah Soley join Team TENI as Family Support and
Education Officer. Her role includes offering support, advising and
signposting to parents and family members of transgender young
people. She helps to link parents to the support groups located
throughout the country in Dublin, Cork, Kerry and Waterford, and
advise on how best to approach a school when needing support in
making a social transition. She organises events, both fun and
informative in order to give continued support to the whole
transgender community.
Hannah also works with schools to increase awareness about gender
non-conforming students and their needs within a school context.
She helps principals to develop best practice guidelines for
students making a social transition whilst in school and gives
teacher trainings so that the whole school community can best
support a gender non-conforming student.
Since starting at the end of August, Hannah has been in discussions
about the possibility of creating four new TransParenCI parent
support groups around the country in Kildare, Donegal, Galway and
Dublin city centre. Its is so important for parents and family
members to access support and these groups help to create a
community network that can be incredibly beneficial to families in
times of need.
In October we are hosting a family event for Halloween which gives
younger members of our community the opportunity to meet and have
fun together. We are going pumpkin picking and having tractor rides
as well as some team building activities for families with older
children.
In the spring we will be organising a family residential weekend.
These have been a fixture for the past few years and are always
well-attended due to the extensive workshops tailored to the needs
of the whole community, parents, family members and young
transgender people.
EDUCATION CONFERENCE
We were excited to organise and deliver the first National
Transgender Education Conference in Waterford in February. This
conference was oversubscribed with over 200 educators from all over
the country in attendance. Expert attendees included:
• Dr Michael Redmond, Director, Research and Development, Joint
Managerial Body,
• Dr Aoife Neary, Lecturer in Sociology of Education in the School
of Education,
• Dr Tanya Ni Mhuirtile, Assistant Professor in the School of Law
and Government in Dublin City University,
• Dr Aileen Murtagh, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist
in St Patricks Mental Health Services,
• Sandra Irwin-Gowran, Education Manager with Educate
Together.
TENI Health and Education Manager Vanessa Lacey, TENI Education and
Family Support Officer, Catherine Cross, along with 14-year old
secondary school student Kayden also attended and participated in
workshops on the experiences of trans people in education.
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I am delighted to be the newest member of the TENI team and I
already feel at home in my new role and within the organisation due
to the warm welcome I have received. I have always been passionate
about creating positive outcomes for young people and their
families. Before coming to TENI I worked in the area of youth
mental health, designing and implementing mental health awareness
and anti-bullying programmes for schools and working as a
Dramatherapist. I have also worked in the youth work sector
supporting young people and their families through times of
difficulties and helping them find ways to reach their full
potential. I have already visited many schools with more booked in
for staff training. I enjoy building positive working relationships
with principals, teachers and schools because it creates better
awareness which in turn creates more positive outcomes for
transgender students. Hannah Solley, Family Support & Education
Officer
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TENI has also partnered with various stakeholders in education,
including school managerial bodies and teachers’ unions to explore
the development of school policies focused on the needs of trans
and gender non-conforming young people.
TENI consulted on the development of a new Relationship and Sexual
Education Curriculum, which we hope to see in place in the near
future.
TRANSPARENCI FAMILY RESIDENTIAL
Our sixth annual TransParenCI residential was hugely successful and
was attended by 171 family members. We were delighted to welcome
some key Irish health professionals on the opening night for a
mini-seminar, which is vital in linking families to the
professionals providing relevant services. During the Residential,
parents, siblings and the young people themselves took part in a
number of workshops, and the weekend culminated in a Christmas-film
themed dinner dance. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly
positive.
FAMILY SUPPORT LINE
The Gender Identity Family Support helpline (01 907 3707) is a
phone line run by fabulous volunteers to support family members of
the transgender community. Since summer 2019, this helpline is now
running weekly which is fantastic news. It runs every Sunday
evening from 6pm to 9pm, and we are considering expanding to
running it one morning a week as well in the near future. Our
volunteers give up their valuable time to help other families and
we thank them for their tremendous commitment.
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EMPLOYMENT
TENI continues to work with employers across Ireland, by offering
advice, helping to develop or review policy and by providing
training on transgender awareness. Some of the employers we have
worked with over the last 12 months include the Royal College of
Surgeons in Ireland, Bank of Ireland, the Industrial Development
Authority, Grant Thornton, Aramark, Sigmar Recruitment, Dublin City
Council and Accenture.
During Pride month 2019, we were pleased to see the Irish Nurses
and Midwives Organisation issue a position statement calling for
trans inclusion in healthcare workplaces.
“I firmly believe that being able to access employment allows
people to become financially independent and can have significant
mental health benefits. Trans people face barriers in getting into
work and achieving their potential at work, simply because they are
trans. This must change and I am doing my part to make this change
happen. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is hearing that
someone is now transitioning at work, because a policy I worked on
or a training I delivered, helped make them feel more confident and
comfortable to be their true self at work. Working with the Gaelic
Athletic Association (GAA) has been one of my highlights of the
last year. I delivered a presentation on trans inclusion to over
100 GAA volunteers at their
annual child safeguarding conference and I was then asked to join
their newly formed Gender Diversity Working Group, which is tasked
with creating a trans inclusion policy for the GAA. I can safely
say that both the GAA and I are learning a lot; they are learning
about trans issues and I am learning about hurling!” Gordon Grehan,
Operations Manager.
Superwomen: Encouraging Trans Women into the Workplace Social
Innovation Fund – Mná na hÉireann, Women of Ireland Awards
On 4th of October, TENI were delighted to attend the award ceremony
for the Mná na hÉireann, Women of Ireland Awards. TENI were one of
only 6 awardees from 75 applications to receive funding. The
overall program focuses on improving access to employment for 1000
women over the next 3 years. TENI’s project Superwomen: Encouraging
Trans Women into the Workplace will provide personal development
training, career development training, mentorships and advice,
while also working with employers to improve policies and provide
greater opportunities for trans women and trans feminine people to
access employment. TENI will be shortly announcing the details of
this program and will be looking for candidates to sign up to the
year 1 program.
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National College of Ireland International day of Trans Visibilty
Gordon Grehan @Bristol Meyers Squib
Sara & Gordon @ Bristol Meyers Squib Genered policing &
Policing Gender Report Launch
Cearbhall Turraoin
PRIDES 2019
TENI participated in a number of Pride parades throughout the
country, including Dublin LGBTQ Pride, Dublin Alternative Pride,
Drogheda and Cork.
Dublin LGBTQ Pride In June, RCSI, once again hosted our successful
TENI breakfast where community members were joined by staff and
students of the college to start the day of celebrations. TENI
joined over 70 LGBTQ+ organisations and community groups as we
marched from O’Connell Street to Merrion Square. This year TENI was
represented on the Pride stage, by our Finance Director Denise
Breen. This year’s theme was Rainbow Revolution and saw people,
dogs, shops, the GPO, City Hall and more covered in rainbows.
Alternative Pride In direct opposition to Dublin Pride, Alternative
Pride held its first rally. Many people gathered on Rosie Hackett
Bridge in Dublin, protesting against the corporatisation of the
main Pride event as well as the participation of uniformed Gardaí
in the parade. TENI Vice Chair Cearbhall Turraoin spoke on behalf
of the organisation.
Trans Pride July saw an increased number of activists, community
members and allies take to the streets for the 2nd annual Trans
Pride. Marching from the Garden of Remembrance, on Parnell Square
to Merrion Square, over 1500 people participated . Our Vice Chair
Cearbhall Turraoin and Chair Sara R Phillips delivered
speeches.
Drogheda Pride In July, Sara R Phillips provided the keynote speech
at the launch of the first ever Drogheda Pride. A small contingent
of TENI members attended on the day.
Cork Pride Cork Pride hosted its largest ever parade in August and
this year it honoured the trans community as Grand Marshall. The
theme was Stonewall: 50 Years Proud, marking 50 years since the
Stonewall Riots in New York, the birth of the Pride movement.
Representing the community our Chair Sara R Phillips and the This
is Me campaigns Noah Halpin lead the parade with members of Gender
Rebels. The sight of blue, pink and white trans flags leading the
parade was wonderful to see.
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COMMUNITY
TENI is in the process of opening up our physical space, TENI HQ,
as a community resource. This has taken on the form of encouraging
the use of our premises for support groups and community events as
well as creating a dedicated community space for drop ins and as a
place for the community to gather in a welcoming, safe and trans
inclusive environment.
This year the Dublin trans peer support group (TPSG) has moved its’
location and is now holding meetings twice a month at TENI. The
group offers a space for transgender and questioning individuals to
seek support from their community through peer led discussion,
friendship, understanding and social events. The Irish Trans
Support Alliance (ITSA) has also made its new
home in our community space and has regular monthly meetups where
trans people can chat, listen to music, play board games and
socialise. Other organisations that have used our space include
Trans Pride Ireland in their consultations coming up to Trans Pride
2019, Intersex Ireland who are in the process of becoming a formal
organisation dedicated to intersex rights in Ireland and our Vice
Chair CearbhaIl Turraoin has been holding dedicated meetups for
nonbinary folk.
“In the coming year I’m committing to a renewed focus on capacity
building and facilitation training within the community. In the
past twelve months I have done training courses in sexual health,
facilitation skills, suicide prevention, understanding self-harm
and community organising and my plan is to reconvene the trans
groups alliance and offer facilitation training for volunteers in
the community nationwide. This year TENI have also offered
placements in Spain in partnership with ULEX for members of the
community we have identified as potential leading lights in
community development and activism.
In terms of my work with TENI although big ticket items can be
exciting, it’s the individual moments that provide the most
personal satisfaction. This year some of those moments that stand
out include receiving a text message from a trans woman who finally
got herself a home after a period of homelessness. I was heartened
when I was able to recognise the signs and intervene with a trans
person who was having thoughts of suicide and point him towards
supports that are available. I was also delighted when I was able
to secure training for a facilitator from a rural support group in
Spain. As well as helping her to grow in her activism, it was the
first time she had ever been able to travel outside of Ireland or
the UK.”
Keeva Lilith Carroll National Community Development Officer
Chrysalis Art Exhibition
In May, artist Eva O’Donovan launched ‘Chrysalis,’ a collection of
paintings depicting trans-feminine subjects contacted through TENI.
In an attempt to redress the lack of visibility of trans people in
the visual arts, and portraiture in particular, Eva collab- orated
with TENI to find subjects for the ‘Chrysalis’ series. The artist
and sitters aimed to promote positive visibility and the rights of
trans people (and their families) by presenting a collection of
powerful portraits featuring members of our community.
Andy Martin
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CALL IT OUT
In May, TENI, along with our colleagues in the Hate and Hostility
Research Group at the University of Limerick, launched the ‘Call It
Out’ campaign. This was a new civil society campaign to highlight
and address the harm caused by homophobia, biphobia and transphobia
in Ireland.
Despite recent positive changes for LGBT+ people in Ireland, many
still experience harassment and intimidation simply because of who
they are. This needs to change. LGBT+ people are so used to living
with a background of prejudiced behaviour that they put up with
abuse and insults. For many it feels like it is part of being who
they are. We wanted to send a clear message to the LGBT+ community
that homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are not acceptable. We
wanted to tell people; no, you don’t have to stand for it. The
campaign ran throughout May and June this year including on TV,
radio, online, through social media, on billboards, in washrooms,
on merchandise and at events around the country. The response to
the campaign was phenomenal both from the general public and from
our LGBT+ community:
- 5 million digital impressions - 1 million views for the campaign
video across
Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat - Over 200 pieces of media
coverage & over 1 million
reach through Influencers
PRIME TIME
Over 4,000 people signed a petition in January to protest the
inclusion of lay-contributors and the lack of specialists in a
special edition of the RTE TV programme, “Prime Time”. This edition
was a special programme dedicated to “trans youth” and included an
edited contribution from our chair, Sara R Phillips. A protest was
also held outside RTÉ on the night of transmission. The programme
went ahead as planned. RTÉ received many complaints, but made no
formal comment or apology about the petition or protest.
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TRANS-FUSION
June saw the return, after a 2-year absence, of our trans arts
festival TRANS-FUSION. Based on the benefits of Art and Performance
on our positive mental health, TRANS-FUSION consisted of a mix of
workshops, talks, performances and an Art Gallery. The TRANS-FUSION
festival aims to empower, build confidence and improve the mental
health of trans people through positive visibility and the
celebration of the trans community in Ireland. TRANS-FUSION
provides a platform to share our stories, experiences and history
with family, friends, colleagues and most importantly the general
public. We hope through this positive engagement that TRANS- FUSION
will inform and educate whilst empowering the trans
community.
This year’s event spanned eight days. It reached a wider array of
our community but also engaged more of the general public in an
effort to share our stories, our experiences and educate in a more
positive way. More trans people than ever shared their stories,
displayed their art, and performed through many different mediums
such as spoken word, song, comedy and poetry. With a new home in
CHQ on customs house quay, we were able to showcase the talents of
the community but also created more positivity and
understanding.
On the 31st of May, we welcomed Minister for Employment Affairs and
Social Protection, Regina Doherty to open the festival in CHQ on
Custom House Quay. To a full house, the evening provided the launch
of the festival, opened the gallery and showcased a number of trans
and intersex community members sharing their stories and their
struggles with mental health.
On the 1st of June, we were joined by the Dublin Roses who spoke to
our Chair Sara R. Phillips about the trans community and our
festival. This was a wonderful event, marrying an institution of
Irish cultural society with a marginalised community. Throughout
the festival our campaign ‘2500 Women and Me’ attracted many
visitors and asked them to take their picture and share it across
social media in support of the trans community.
Through a film night in Irish Film Institute, a trans history talk
in EPIC Museum, a comedy night in A4 Sounds, mental health
workshops in TENI HQ, and culminating in an eclectic performance
night in CHQ, TRANS-FUSION was the biggest and widest-ranging
festival we have held. Providing positive mental health support to
our community, it is an important part of our calendar. We look
forward to TRANS-FUSION continuing into the future.
TRANS FUSION Trans Festival
UCC Gender Identity and Expression Policy launch
TENI Staff & Chair at TENI HQ
Call IT Out Campaign
Irish Medical Professionals @ EPATH
Vanessa Lacey @ EPATH Conference conference in Rome
Peter Dunne presents @ EPATH in Rome
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TENI’s work is only possible through the dedication of all our
staff, Board Directors, our members, volunteers, activists, allies
and partner organisations who strive to secure trans rights and
equality in Ireland. Thank you all for your support.
We would not be able to do the work that we do without the generous
financial support of our funders. We gratefully acknowledge the
support of the HSE, National Office of Suicide Prevention, Sigrid
Rausing, Social Innovation Fund – Mná na hEireann, Irish Human
Rights and Equality Commission, EU – Leargas, and The Healthy
Ireland Fund.
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