At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) held on 22 January 2026, the Executive Committee formally adopted a position on trans healthcare, reaffirming and giving practical expression to policy agreed by members at IFUT’s 2025 Annual Delegate Conference (ADC).
Background to the Decision
At the 2025 ADC, delegates debated and adopted a motion relating to trans healthcare, which now forms part of IFUT policy. The motion instructed IFUT to actively support trans and gender-diverse people’s right to bodily autonomy and to safe, publicly funded healthcare. It recognised that trans healthcare is an issue affecting IFUT members both directly and indirectly, and highlighted the negative impacts that inadequate healthcare provision has on students, including through campus healthcare services.
The motion further committed IFUT to supporting the immediate implementation of an informed consent model for trans healthcare within community and primary care settings, and to taking practical steps to advance this commitment, including through collaboration with relevant trans community organisations.
Since the 2025 ADC, IFUT Head Office has met on a number of occasions with one of the proposers of the motion to discuss how best to advance its intent. As part of these discussions, IFUT also engaged with a colleague from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) to establish whether there is an existing ICTU position on the issue. Following this process, a draft statement was brought to the Executive Committee for consideration.
Adoption of IFUT Statement on Trans Healthcare
At its meeting on 22 January 2026, the Executive Committee agreed to adopt the following statement and to share it across IFUT’s communications and media platforms:
IFUT Statement on Trans Healthcare
The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) reaffirms its commitment to equality, inclusion, and the right of all people to bodily autonomy. We recognise that access to safe, publicly funded trans healthcare is a matter of human rights and dignity, and we stand in solidarity with trans and gender-diverse people in Ireland in the pursuit of these rights.
Trans healthcare is an issue that affects our members both directly and indirectly, and we acknowledge the serious and ongoing negative impacts that inadequate healthcare provision has on our students, colleagues, and communities — including through campus healthcare services.
Following the international best standards established by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, IFUT supports the immediate implementation of an informed consent model for trans healthcare within community and primary care settings, ensuring that timely and affirming care is available to all who seek it.
As an organisation representing educators and researchers across Ireland, IFUT stands firmly for respect, inclusion, and the right of every individual to access the care they need without stigma, delay, or discrimination.
The Executive Committee noted that the adoption of this statement represents an important step in implementing the democratic decisions of IFUT members and in articulating the union’s commitment to equality, inclusion, and high-quality public healthcare for all.