Mammies for Trans Rights march in Limerick to stand with Trans Community

Trans Pride Limerick 2026 – Mammies for Trans Rights joined hundreds of supporters

‘We Are All Their Mammies’ – Families Unite for Trans Rights at Trans Pride Limerick 2026

Mammies for Trans Rights joined hundreds of supporters at Trans Pride Limerick 2026 on Bedford Row on Saturday, August 22, as the annual protest called for greater visibility, equality and urgent reform of transgender healthcare in Ireland.

The gathering brought together members of Limerick’s trans community, families and allies, with flags and placards filling Bedford Row as protesters highlighted the challenges facing transgender people and called for support both nationally and internationally.

Trans Pride Limerick aims to put protest at the heart of Pride while raising awareness of transgender rights and the issues facing the community.

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Organisers said Trans Prides have grown in popularity as a way of “bringing back pride as a protest” and educating people about transgender rights, demands and successful campaigns.

Healthcare was among the central concerns raised at this year’s event. Organisers pointed to repeated changes to Ireland’s National Gender Service and the lengthy waiting list facing people seeking gender-affirming care.

They also called for greater access to reliable information about trans healthcare, recognition of non-binary people, full bodily autonomy for intersex people, more transgender-safe spaces and stronger protections against hate crime.

For Mammies for Trans Rights, the Limerick event was another opportunity to make a public statement of solidarity.

The organisation began with a small group of mothers who wanted to support their own transgender children. It has since grown into a nationwide movement, with groups of mammies, dads, grandparents, aunts, cousins, friends, neighbours and colleagues taking part in Pride events across Ireland.

Tracey Nutterfield of Mammies for Trans Rights said the growing participation of people attending their first Trans Pride was particularly significant.

“The love and support from people whose first time it was at a Trans Pride, who don’t know any trans people, shows that there is a lot of people educating themselves and the message is getting out – love wins every time!” she said.

Karen Sugrue, co-chair of Mammies for Trans Rights, said the movement began in Limerick four years ago with two mothers who wanted their transgender children to feel safer.

“Mammies for Trans Rights started four years ago with two worried Limerick mams who wanted to find a way to make their trans kids feel safer in the world – now there are hundreds of us marching across the country every chance we get to show everyone’s kids that they are loved and that they deserve to feel safe,” she said.

Sugrue said the organisation’s message extends beyond transgender children, describing every child as part of a wider community deserving of protection, acceptance and safety.

“Our ethos is that there is no such thing as someone else’s kid – they are ALL our kids,” she said, listing transgender, gay, lesbian, bisexual, non-binary, gender-fluid and intersex young people among those the group seeks to support.

She also highlighted children from migrant and Traveller communities, as well as children affected by conflict and humanitarian crises around the world.

“If we want our own kids to be safe then we need to fight for everyone’s kids to be safe,” Sugrue said.

The group is encouraging adults who believe children should be able to feel safe and valued in their communities to get involved, whether by attending marches, contacting elected representatives, writing to newspapers or simply having conversations with neighbours and colleagues.

For the mammies and families taking part in Trans Pride Limerick, the message was ultimately one of solidarity: that transgender young people should know they are loved, supported and entitled to live safely and equally in their communities.