The Gender Recognition Act may have to be reviewed in light of the Barbie Kardashian case, Fine Gael Presidential candidate Heather Humphreys has said.
Speaking to the press following Sunday’s presidential debate on RTÉ’s ‘The Week In Politics’ programme, Humphreys was asked about her own record as former Social Protection Minister.
In August 2020, Barbie Kardashian – a violent biologically male sex offender with a penis – was granted a Gender Recognition Certificate by Humphreys’ Department. Under the Gender Recognition Act 2015, anyone in receipt of such a certificate is legally considered the gender they identify as.
As a result, Kardashian was placed in Limerick Women’s Prison among female inmates, where he went on to threaten to torture, sexually abuse and mutilate female inmates and guards.
Kardashian, who remains unrepentant of his crimes, was just released from prison this week.
Commenting on the case, Humphreys said that the matter had “complexities” to it.
“In my book, a woman is a female adult, and a man is a male adult – that’s my belief,” she said.
“But we know the world is not black and white, and there are complexities there. And obviously it’s a difficult situation.”
Asked what these complexities are precisely, she simply replied: “Look, it’s not black and white, and there’s many issues.
“That legislation [the Gender Recognition Act 2015] was actually not passed by me, it was passed by a previous Minister. And the legislation is in place. And maybe it does need to be looked at.”
Notably, the legislation was passed by a Fine Gael government, of which Humphreys was a member.
Asked by another journalist if Humphreys would say that a transgender person who identified as a woman was actually a woman, she replied: “No. I would actually classify them as a trans-woman.
“You know, they’re in transition.”
She added: “This is a very complex subject. Let’s face it, it’s not black and white, and it’s something that needs a sensitive discussion. And people need assistance and they need support. They need the support of their community. They need the support of their family and sometimes they need medical support.”
Earlier this week, former Fine Gael Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also remarked on Kardashian’s case, saying that while he strongly supported the Gender Recognition Act, he believed that individuals like Kardashian may be abusing the system and may necessitate a discussion on amending it.