On October 21, in an interview with the pro-government TV channel “Imedi,” the founder of the ruling “Georgian Dream” party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, discussed LGBTQ rights in various European countries. Ivanishvili claimed that in some countries, teenagers can undergo gender reassignment surgery without parental consent, and if parents oppose this, they are jailed. The former Prime Minister also recalled an incident in a “developed country” where a teacher was reportedly detained twice for stating that only two genders exist.
Ivanishvili’s claim that parents in Europe are jailed for opposing gender reassignment surgery for their children is unsupported by evidence. Regarding the European teacher’s detention, the real story involves Irish teacher Enoch Burke, who was imprisoned for violating a court order.
- Can Minors Undergo Gender Reassignment Surgery?
Ivanishvili claims that teenagers can undergo complex surgeries without parental consent and that if parents object, they are jailed.
Bidzina Ivanishvili: “I avoid naming specific countries, but what kinds of toys do children in kindergartens have, and what kinds of lessons are being taught? A teenager can change their gender, undergo complex surgery without consulting their parents—can you imagine that? And if parents oppose, they are jailed, and there are many such examples of parents being jailed for not allowing surgery on their child.”
In reality, most European countries set the minimum age for gender reassignment surgery at 18 or regulate it under general legislation on surgical procedures. In countries where the minimum age is 16, parental or guardian consent is required.
In Ireland and Malta, the minimum age is set at 16. In Ireland, according to general legislation, 16-year-olds do not need parental consent for surgical, medical, or dental procedures. However, for the state to legally recognize a gender change for 16-18-year-olds, the parent or guardian must apply to court, and the application requires multiple documents, including information from a personal physician, psychiatrist, or endocrinologist(1, 2).
In Malta, the minimum age is also 16, and the parent or legal guardian must apply to court for the state to recognize the gender change. Notably, the law does not require individuals to undergo surgery to have their gender change recognized.
Croatia is an exception, where the minimum age for gender reassignment surgery is not strictly defined but still requires parental or guardian consent.
Ivanishvili mentions gender reassignment surgery in the context of children in kindergartens, creating the impression that such surgeries are performed on very young children. No publicly available sources support Ivanishvili’s claims of parents being jailed in such cases.
- What Do We Know About the Detained Teacher?
During the interview, Ivanishvili twice mentioned an incident in a developed European country where a teacher was reportedly detained. He claimed that the teacher was jailed solely for denying “sexual diversity” and for saying that only two genders exist.
Bidzina Ivanishvili: “A teacher in a developed country was sent to prison again for coming forward and saying that only two genders exist, male and female, and that there is no such diversity in sexuality—thousands do not exist. He was jailed again.”
The only publicly available case of this nature involves Irish teacher Enoch Burke. Burke was detained three times, not for his views on gender, but for violating a court order.
In 2022, Burke was temporarily dismissed by the school where he worked after a public argument with the principal regarding addressing a student by the pronoun “they,” a recommendation made by the school with the parents’ consent.
After Burke continued to visit the school despite his dismissal, the school obtained a court order prohibiting him from approaching the premises. After violating this order, Burke was detained for 11 days. He was detained again in 2023 on the same grounds and was released in June 2024. Shortly after his release, Burke again visited the school, leading to his third detention on September 2.
Therefore, the claim that a teacher was detained for his views on gender or transgenderism is inaccurate.
Notably, in the same interview, Ivanishvili made another claim, which “Myth Detector” has already fact-checked. See the full article for more details:
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