Sinn Féin has been banned from attending Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin 2025, with organisers stating they are “not satisfied” with the party’s position on trans healthcare and a recent UK Supreme Court ruling.
In a statement published earlier today, Trans & Intersex Pride Dublin confirmed the decision followed a meeting earlier this month with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and health spokesperson David Cullinane.
“After a period of engagement, including a meeting with Mary Lou McDonald and David Cullinane with other LGBTQ+ Organisations, Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin have came to the decision that we are not satisfied with the clarification of their position on the recent UK supreme court ruling, and their continued defence of the banning of puberty blockers in the North,” the group said.
“Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin can now confirm that Sinn Féin will be banned from Trans and Intersex Pride 2025.
“Our focus is now on making Trans and Intersex Pride 2025 the biggest march yet. We reiterate our call for all activists, groups, and organisations who want to fight for trans rights to join us on July 12th!”
The statement comes after sustained criticism of Sinn Féin’s response to a ruling earlier this year by the UK Supreme Court, which found that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the UK Equality Act referred to biological definitions. Cullinane had initially called the judgment a “common sense ruling” in a now-deleted social media post, which he later apologised for.
During the May 1st meeting with LGBTQ+ organisations including LGBT Ireland, BelongTo, Pathi, Dublin Pride, TENI, and Northern Ireland representatives, according to the Irish Independent, Cullinane reportedly apologised again and told the group that he accepts transgender women are, in fact, women if they identify as such.
Despite the apology and clarification, organisers of the march said they remained unsatisfied due to the party’s continued defence of the temporary suspension of puberty blockers for children in Northern Ireland.
Last August, Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland supported a three-month pause in prescribing the treatment following safety concerns.