There are 28 candidates chasing six seats in the two university panels for colleges of the NUI and Trinity College Dublin this month. Many candidates appear to be offering a range of similar positions on a wide variety of topics. Two women candidates however stand out from the crowd.
Laoise de Brún and Sandra Adams have both come directly from the grassroots activism of women who have stepped up in the last five years to oppose gender identity ideology in Ireland with its horrifying consequences for women and children - from men being placed in women's prisons to children being indoctrinated to believe that it's possible to change one's sex and risking lifelong serious adverse effects from taking puberty blockers; opposite sex hormones and even surgery to remove breasts and genitalia.
Barrister Laoise de Brún founded the human rights and advocacy organisation The Countess in 2019 and is seeking a place on the Trinity College Dublin panel for the Seanad. Over the last five years her group has worked hard to protect the interests of women, children and families in this country given the onslaught of gender identity ideology in legislation and society and has presented to the United Nations as subject matter experts.
Laoise's group successfully lobbied in last year's referenda to bring about a resounding rejection of proposed Constitutional "..amendments that would have stripped mothers of constitutional protections and rights and that would have collapsed the legal meaning of family and marriage."
The Countess group also managed to prevent the word "woman" from being removed from maternity legislation; and Laoise drafted legislation that has been introduced in the Dáil to close the loophole whereby males who identify as women are placed in female prisons here.
"I campaigned actively against different iterations of the poorly drafted hate crime bill since 2020. We must have open dialogue and debate without one side being shut down, labelled or criminalised. This legislation poses a threat to freedom of speech and equality before the law."
The Countess has become
"..a source of expertise and guidance for parents and workers all over Ireland who have concerns regarding the encroachment of
gender ideology into classrooms and the workplace. I founded The Countess to empower ordinary people to understand the legal and policy issues that have arisen from misguided legislation and more broadly to advocate for the rights of women, children, parents and LGB people."
"Look at what I have achieved outside the chamber as an unpaid volunteer,imagine what I could achieve inside the chamber as a TCD Senator."
Find out more about Laoise's priorities which include the issue of children missing from State care; the SPHE curriculum in our schools; reform needed of the policy of fully suspended sentences for possession of child sex abuse material and for domestic violence convictions at laoisedebrun.com.
Please support Laoise de Brún with your first preference vote for the Trinity panel.
Sandra Adams is also an advocate for women’s sex-based rights, child safeguarding, and fact-based education. She is seeking a Seanad seat representing colleges of the NUI.
Sandra is a UCD graduate who has worked as a mental health advocate, community worker, arts producer and haulage company manager.
"Her campaign theme, Can we have a conversation? invites dialogue on vital issues while questioning how free we are to challenge dominant views without facing accusations of intolerance. ‘Progressive’ legislation often carries unintended consequences, and these must be discussed without fear of offence or censure."
She campaigned with The Countess for a No/No vote during the Family and Care referendums speaking in the media and canvassing on the ground. This experience highlighted for her the vital role of the Seanad in preventing poorly considered legislation from being blindly accepted and rubber stamped. If elected to Seanad Éireann, Sandra says she will rigorously and fearlessly hold legislation up to scrutiny to ensure our laws are necessary, effective, clear, and coherent.
Sandra points out that Government policies aimed at reducing violence against women while simultaneously placing men in women’s prisons and granting them access to our single sex space are incoherent.
"Why, when women voiced concerns about laws that undermine their safety, dignity, and privacy, did NGOs such as the National Women’s Council and Amnesty Ireland call for them to be denied legitimate political representation?" she asks.
Women's rights are based on our sex, not "gender identity"
She has produced an impressive body of work including contributing to public consultations and appeared before the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to highlight the negative impact of gender self-identification on Ireland’s ability to uphold women’s sex based rights.
Education and the Curriculum
Sandra has advocated for parental choice in education. Like many parents, she is alarmed by recent curriculum changes driven by activism rather than the fundamentals of education.
She has persistently challenged the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the Department of Education dismissal of parents’ concerns. Sandra has written and spoken on the need for fact-based, scientifically accurate education for The Critic , Genspect, and Gript Media.
Children deserve an education fostering critical thinking and resilience. Our Constitution acknowledges parents as the primary educators of their children.
Freedom of Speech
Sandra points out that freedom of speech is the cornerstone of any democracy.
"It is essential for sharing ideas, refining beliefs, and fostering creativity. Without it, we cannot test what benefits or harms society. Laws designed to protect minorities should not stifle the rights of others or restrict personal, press, or academic freedoms."
Legislative Scrutiny
"‘Progressive’ legislation can have unintended negative consequences. Independent senators can prevent the Seanad from becoming a rubber stamp for ill-conceived laws advanced by the government of the day. I will interrogate legislation and work to ensure that our laws are necessary, effective, clear & coherent."
- If you support the defence of women’s sex-based rights, single sex sport and robust child safeguarding please vote for Sandra
- She will advocate fearlessly to defend the right of parents as the primary educators of their children.
- If you value a truly inclusive society that values diversity of thought please vote for Sandra Adams for the Seanad.
For more information about Sandra and her policies, see sandraadams.ie
