28th October 2000

Transsexual forced to act the role of father

A TRANSSEXUAL who fathered two children before surgery told the High Court in Dublin yesterday she had no desire to change the status of her daughters’ birth certificates to indicate their father was really a woman.

Ms Lydia Annice Foy, 54, a qualified dentist, of Athy, Co. Kildare who is seeking a court order to compel the Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths to change her gender classification on her birth cert from male to female said she would like to think her two daughters might in due course wish to change their birth certificates “to reflect reality”.

Yesterday, Mr Diarmaid McGuinness SC, for the registrar said the State had gone as far as practical in allowing Ms Foy to assert her identity.  But when he suggested she had not been asked to produce her birth certificate for any purpose, Ms Foy said she had often been asked to produce this document but had offered other alternatives means of identification.  And although the National University of Ireland had certified she was permitted to practice dentistry under the name Lydia Foy, she was nevertheless dismissed from her job, with no explanation given.

Further cross-examined by Ms Mary O’Toole SC, Ms Foy said she had tried to act the role of a father to her children.  She had been forced into circumstances where as their parent she had pretended to be masculine while not being able to give full expression to her femininity.

The court adjourned until next Tuesday.

Copright © Irish Examiner, 2000