Irish government departments have been inviting the taxpayer-funded NGO known as TENI to organise “training events for staff,” according to one Senator.
Independent Senator Ronan Mullen made the comments on Gript’s weekly The Week That Really Was podcast featuring John McGuirk and Sarah Ryan.
Senator Ronan Mullen says he is deeply concerned about Government Departments bringing in TENI to give staff lessons in correct pronoun usage, and the evolving definition of the word “gender”:
Listen to the full podcast: https://t.co/7Gy9iySg3P#gript pic.twitter.com/0EC7miHmll
— gript (@griptmedia) October 6, 2023
TENI – the Transgender Equality Network of Ireland – is a transgender campaigning group which has received substantial amounts of annual government funding since its formal incorporation in 2010.
However, Mullen said he has taken issue with the group organising staff training sessions for Irish government departments.
“I’ve had an issue for some time with the fact that government departments have been training people around the accommodation of transgender persons, or people who are transitioning in the workplace,” he said.
“I stress that the vast majority of people are decent. They would want to be kind and courteous, to recognise that people having gender dysphoria is a very difficult situation.”
However, he added: “People need sympathy and support, but not to the point where others are expected to deny reality.”
“This has been happening,” he said, as he went on to outline how TENI had been invited by the civil service to conduct workshops, claiming that the NGO had “issues” around “the expenditure that they have been receiving in grant aid from the state.”
This may be in reference to the fact that last October the HSE suspended TENI’s funding for failing to produce financial accounts, despite receiving tens of thousands of euros in state funding..
HSE suspends Transgender Equality Network funding for failing to produce financial accounts despite getting tens of thousands in grants from the State https://t.co/Aso3CPCjfL
— Irish Independent (@Independent_ie) October 20, 2022
The Senator’s comments come after earlier this year Gript revealed that Irish civil servants in all departments have been urged to use their “preferred pronouns” in their email signatures, even if they don’t identify as transgender, in order to be an “ally” to LGBTQ+ colleagues.
Irish civil servants have been urged to use their preferred gender pronouns in their email signatures, even if they’re not transgender, and to wear Pride colours “on their person” all year round, even after Pride Month has ended.#gripthttps://t.co/SXW2BnWeSl
— gript (@griptmedia) July 5, 2023
Similarly, regarding gender issues in the workplace, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris earlier this year proposed a plan in which he said that Gardaí may be disciplined for using the wrong pronouns.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris tells Gript that if Garda officers use the wrong gender pronouns, it could "escalate" to disciplinary action. pic.twitter.com/EXElEEISx1
— gript (@griptmedia) March 28, 2023
This plan was quickly withdrawn after backlash from rank and file Gardaí.
BREAKING: Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has reversed a plan to force Gardaí to use a person’s preferred gender pronouns, following significant backlash.#gripthttps://t.co/4uMvGQ6y4Y
— gript (@griptmedia) April 4, 2023
Gript also revealed that Dublin Bus officially encourages staff to learn about “crossdressing” and allows biologically-male staff to use women’s toilets and changing rooms if they identify as female, even without surgery.
EXCLUSIVE: Dublin Bus officially encourages staff to learn about “crossdressing” and allows biologically-male staff to use women’s toilets and changing rooms if they identify as female, even without surgery. @Ben_Scallan reports:#gript https://t.co/ytwSubFAhI
— gript (@griptmedia) July 18, 2023
This week Gript asked Equality Minister Roderic O’Gorman whether or not “misgendering” someone at work could constitute unlawful discrimination or harassment. However, the Minister declined to answer.
"That's not an answer to the question": Ben Scallan accuses Irish Equality Minister Roderic O'Gorman of "evasion" for refusing to say whether or not "misgendering" someone at work could constitute unlawful discrimination or harassment.#gript pic.twitter.com/MDONaRHfTs
— gript (@griptmedia) October 5, 2023