The United Nations has disgraced themselves again” a leading Irish psychotherapist has told The Irish Catholic in the wake of a UN report advocating boys and girls share shower facilities. Dr Stella O’Malley told this paper that “No serious organisation tells schools that boys should share facilities such as showers and residential spaces with girls. Yet that is exactly what the UN is suggesting. They’ve painted themselves into a corner after allowing trans activists to convince them that gender identity should take precedence over biological sex. It’s an unforced error that will take years to undo” she said. Dr O’Malley is also an author and director of Genspect, an international organisation that advocates for a healthy approach to sex and gender.
“In Genspect’s forthcoming book The Gender Framework, published in early 2026, my co-authors and I explain why this thinking is so deeply flawed. Feminist philosopher Holly Lawford-Smith shows that when rights collide, it is both ethically and practically wrong to prioritise gender identity over biological sex. Social justice should never elevate one marginalised group at the expense of another. Fairness demands balance. Inclusion must always sit alongside safeguarding” she said.
O’Malley says that “Teachers need to empower bystanders to speak up, teach pupils how to behave responsibly both online and in person, and build a climate of respect instead of fear.”
She adds that the UN report “notes that LGBT students experience bullying, but it misses an awkward truth: research shows that trans-identified students are more likely to be perpetrators of bullying than subjected to bullying.
“Immediately affirming a child’s new name or pronoun might appear caring, but it is not a neutral act. It is a major psychosocial intervention that can deepen confusion and create chaos across the school community. Teachers should work with parents and mental health professionals to find the right support for vulnerable students” she writes.
Dr O’Malley appealed to schools to resist “the temptation to present contested ideas as fact.”
She said that children need “the steadiness of adults who understand that kindness does not mean obfuscation, and inclusion does not mean erasing difference. If we can restore fairness, clarity, and transparency to our schools, we can protect every child. Those goals can live side by side – if only the adults remember to act like adults.”
