Paul Murphy: Exposes Trans Health Crisis and Hate Online
Paul Murphy addresses the ongoing crisis in trans health care, rising far-right hate and the role of social media algorithms in amplifying abuse. He backs Deputy Coppinger’s bill to recognise non-binary and intersex people and renews a call to turn off recommender algorithms by default.
Trans health emergency: Murphy lays out the scale of the problem in clear terms. He highlights that Ireland faces record waiting lists - up to 18 years - for the only public gender clinic and says the government's record on trans health care is "really shocking." He argues access to health care is a prerequisite for any meaningful discussion of trans rights.
Non-binary and intersex recognition: Murphy explains why he supports Deputy Coppinger’s bill to recognise non-binary and intersex people. He reminds viewers it is eight years since the government review of the Gender Recognition Act recommended non-binary recognition and criticises the lack of action since then.
Algorithms and young queer people: Murphy warns that toxic social media recommender algorithms are massively amplifying homophobia, transphobia, misogyny and racism. He notes community groups want algorithms turned off by default while rejecting blanket bans on under-16s, and reiterates his private members bill that would make algorithm shutdown the default setting.
Pride and provocation: Murphy condemns a planned far-right march timed to follow Pride as a deliberate provocation and highlights the surge in real-world and online attacks against queer people. He expresses confidence that the majority will stand for equality and respect rather than hate.
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Pride has always been a protest as well as a great party and a celebration and unfortunately there's still a lot to protest about. The government's record on trans health care is really shocking. Worst in the European Union, record waiting lists of up to 18 years for the only public gender clinic. You can't talk about trans rights when you can't access trans health care. It's eight years since the government's own review of the Gender Recognition Act recommended non-binary recognition. Still the government has done nothing. That's why I'm pleased to support Deputy Coppinger who is introducing a bill to recognise both non-binary and intersex people for the first time. I hope that everyone in the House will support it. The rise in hate directed at the queer community by the far right is absolutely frightening. You see it, it's not just online, it's in the real world as well with a big increase of homophobic and transphobic attacks both verbal and physical and all of that hate is being massively amplified by toxic social media algorithms designed to increase the profits of the big tech social media companies by pushing hate whether it's homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, racism. Dublin Pride, Belong To, LGBT Ireland and Tenny all want recommender algorithms to be turned off by default. What they're not calling for is under 16s to be banned entirely from social media which can be a vital lifeline for young queer people who may be socially isolated. A survey of young queer people in Australia found before the social media ban found that more than half of them felt they could be more be themselves there online than in person. A blanket social media ban under 16s ignores that and it lets big tech off the hook from cleaning up its act. That's why we introduced a private members bill months ago to turn off social media algorithms by default. That urgently needs to happen now. It was a bad mistake by the government to vote that down. We need to turn off the hate being pushed against queer people by the likes of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and the rest of the social media bosses. I also want to say a word about the disgusting attempt to create a provocation and a provocation this Saturday at Pride. There's been a far-right Dublin councillor known for promoting racism and anti-immigrant hate is holding a so-called march for Ireland just an hour or two after Pride stops. Given his previous comments about the rainbow flag, I suspect it is designed as a deliberate provocation. But we'll see. We'll see the many many more people who will turn out for Pride standing for equality, standing for respect, than those who turn up to call for hate, discrimination against gay people, against trans people, against people of colour, against immigrants. I believe a big majority is on our side. you
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