In the Republic of Ireland it is not illegal for a person to dress in the clothing of the opposite gender, unless the clothing is such that it offends against public morals or is done in the furtherance of an illegal act.
Normally the police ignore transvestites unless they are the source of public disorder. In this case the TV would normally be asked to leave the particular area. We're not aware of anyone having been prosecuted for being crossdressed.
If stopped by police especially at a vehicle checkpoint, it is essential to be polite. Answer the questions asked as fully as necessary but do not volunteer information. Do not anticipate the officer's questions. If the officer is asking for vehicle information he is not interested in why you are dressed. If he does comment, then the simple statement "I'm a transvestite" will suffice.
In the unlikely event that a problem arises then contact your local Garda liaison officers. While these officers are primarily intended for the assistance of members of the gay community they are willing also to assist transgendered.
Garda liaison officers
Athlone
Gda Pat Keegan/Gda Mary 0'Connor 0902-92609
Cork City
Gda Eleanor 0'Kelly 02l-4270681
Dublin
Det Sgt Gerry Deegan D.V.S.A.U. 01-6660000
Sgt Derval Supple East, 01-6665400
Gda Frank Tracey Dublin North Central 6668200
Sgt Finbarr Murphy South Central 01-6669000
Det Gda Andy Tuite West. 01-667400
Dundalk
Sgt Vincent Jackson 042-9335577
Galway West
Sgt Gerry Mangan 091-538000
Limerick
Gda John Reilly 061-212400
Waterford
Sgt Padraig Dunne/Gda Sinead Coleman 051-305300
For further information see the article on Transvestites.
There is no universal European Union law on these matters and each state is entitled to make its own rules. These notes reflect the state of the law in the Republic of Ireland and only apply to that jurisdiction. The fact that other jurisdictions have other rules does not concern us.
Changing Your Name
It is not illegal to change your name. Your name is your personal property
and like any other property you can do what you like with it. Usually what
lawyers will say is that "It is not illegal to change your name unless for
purposes of fraud".
It is not necessary to change your name by deed poll in spite of what many TSs will tell you. Simply using the new name is sufficient. However, changing your name by deed poll does give you a document, which you can produce when you approach various agencies with a view to documentation changes. It is a simple procedure that can be done by any competent solicitor at a reasonable charge. However, the operative word here is "competent". A case is known where the deed poll procedure is taking over six months and still running, due to problems with the solicitor.
Bank/Credit Cards
A minor problem here is the anti-money laundering laws. It is sometimes
difficult to open bank accounts in a second name. However, no problems should be
met if you are known in the bank. I have an account in both names, male and
femme in the TSB but only a bankcard in the male name. Recently the Manager
asked if I wanted a card for "your second account". I laughed and said "wouldn't
I have to dress up for the photo? ", since the cards carry a photo of the
holder. He said "well if you were one of those other people, yes, but not since
it's only your pen name". Later he told me that he had seen a card issued by
some Scottish bank, which carried a male and femme photo together with two
names!
Credit Cards are no problem. You can apply for a card in your name but will probably have to supply slightly tighter references since they don't know you. In the case of a TV you could continue to use your male name as the main cardholder and apply to have your femme name added as an additional user. That is the route I used myself.
There is an amusing aside. Credit cards carry one's title, Mr, Ms, etc. There should be no problem with having this dropped from the cards so that they simple show both names. Unfortunately it appears that the computer insists on a title! In a case known to me the bank official entered a "," as the title so the bearer now has new non-gender specific cards but all the bills are addressed to ", Mary Anybody".
Birth/Baptismal Certificates
The state and church authorities consider these to be historical documents
giving a "snapshot of a point in time" therefore while they can be amended if
they are in error ie incorrect name, they cannot be altered to indicate a
"fresh" start.
Driving Licence
Ireland uses the standard European Union style licence with a photograph. It
does not note "sex". A post-op can have a new licence simply by submitting a
letter with the application explaining the situation, together with the old
licence. There is no provision for non-op TSs (even though living fulltime) or
fulltime pre-op TSs or TVs. The licensing authorities are sympathetic to these
anomalies and discussions are in progress.
Passports
A TS can have a new passport by following the following procedure. In
addition to the usual forms, photos etc. they want the actual deed-poll as
enrolled in the High Court and a letter from your psychologist stating that you
are living full-time in the new role and have been under-going treatment for at
least two years. You will then be issued with a short-term, usually two years,
passport which will be in the correct gender. After surgery you can apply for a
full passport. The requirements for this are a letter from the surgeon stating
that the operation is irreversible and a letter from the psychologist saying
that you have completed treatment.
There is an anomaly here. What happens after the two year passport expires and you still haven't had the operation? What happens if you decide to live fulltime and not have the operation?
There is no provision for non-op TSs living full time but not undergoing treatment or for TVs. The authorities are aware of the problem with fulltime non-ops but do not appear to be doing anything to remove the anomaly.
It should be mentioned that there is, generally, no physical inspection of passports on inter-EU travel. In this case if a TV were to travel en femme on a male passport it is probable that there would be no embarrassment. The only comment I could elicit from a friendly Special Branch member was " try it and see".
Professional Qualifications
There should be no problems having these changed to reflect the new status.
Trinity College Dublin said they had never had a request and asked what Oxford
and Cambridge did! I gather they will take their cues from them. Replies are
awaited from other academic centres.
Revenue Commissioners
Many TS would like to change their RSI number. I have asked a tax inspector
about this and he was dubious. As far as he was aware the number wasn't gender
specific but he pointed out that the number was in effect the "tabable entity".
He said he had never come across an individual changing names but quoted the
fact that where a company changes name the RSI number or equivalent stays the
same.
We are advised that this topic is adult material not suitable for an open site. Further information on this subject is available on another site. Click here.
It is an offence to supply prescription drugs without a prescription. In other words, if you are prescribed a certain drug it would be an offence for you to obtain these for a friend. It is unclear if the essence of the offence is that you charge for the re-supply. This applies to hormones also.
[ Homepage | Services | FAQs | TG-friendly Businesses | Gianna E. Israel Gender Library | Links ]
Email us: transgender@utvinternet.ie
Last Modified 02 Feb 2002