The new policy could mean more gender neutral bathrooms in hospitals and schools.
The government is being asked to consider more gender-neutral bathrooms in public buildings, as part of a new strategy to improve the lives of LGBTI people in Ireland.
JOE understands that a new report on a national LGBTI strategy will call on the state to “take practical measures to increase the availability of non-gendered toilets in public buildings.”
It will also call on the government to work to make sure there that LGBTI people are better represented among those working in broadcast media, and that the lives of LGBTI people are portrayed positively in TV and radio.
The report is expected to be considered by government ministers in the coming weeks.
Gender neutral bathrooms can be easier for trans or non-binary people to use. Over the last number of years, some individual organisations and private businesses have introduced gender neutral bathrooms in Ireland but there has never been a national government policy on them.
Last year, University of Limerick installed gender-neutral bathrooms on its campus. The same year, UCD re-designated more than 170 bathrooms as gender-neutral. In June, five new secondary schools asked the Department of Education for permission to install gender neutral bathrooms.
Both measures are included in the first LGBT+ inclusion strategy, which is being set up by the Department of Justice. Last year, the department asked the public to take part in a consultation on what the strategy would include.
The government had said that the overall aim of the strategy was to “target discrimination, promote inclusion, and improve quality of life and wellbeing for LGBTI people.”
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