“We cannot in good faith continue to participate as we do not feel the draft Model of Care thus developed aligns with the values of PATHI or what we envision as the future of gender healthcare in Ireland,” the letter reads.

PATHI highlighted how the draft Model of Care that was circulated to members of the working group failed to incorporate the experiences of directly-impacted trans people, thus leaving out “important voices” that should have informed the development of new gender healthcare services.

Moreover, PATHI stressed that the current draft model “makes few references to international evidence-based standards” while making more extensive reference to the Cass Review, a document that has been “widely criticised by international medical bodies, academic voices, and LGBTQ advocacy groups.”