Writing & Commentary by Sorcha Rosa
Welcome to the Writing & Commentary archive on Simply Sorcha.
This is where I publish long-form analysis, investigative research, opinion pieces and personal reflections on the issues shaping Ireland today. My work focuses on intersex rights, transgender equality, LGBTQ+ politics, feminism, disability, healthcare, sport, and the growing influence of organised anti-rights movements.
Drawing on lived experience alongside years of advocacy, coaching, public speaking and policy engagement, I examine both the headlines and the structures behind them. Many articles explore how legislation, media narratives, political organisations and public institutions affect marginalised communities, particularly intersex and transgender people.
Alongside political commentary, I also write about cycling, activism, public life, sex work, culture and the realities of living openly as an intersex trans woman in Ireland.
Whether analysing parliamentary debates, investigating campaign organisations, documenting community events or sharing personal experiences, the aim remains the same: evidence-led writing that challenges assumptions and encourages informed discussion.
New articles are published regularly.
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The Price of a Woman
For decades I accumulated identities: athlete, activist, writer, public speaker, feminist, intersex woman, parent. Then the internet reached a different conclusion. Product. In The Price of a Woman, Sorcha Rosa explores how patriarchy, capitalism, algorithms, and digital markets reduce complex human beings to searchable commodities, where a woman’s value is increasingly measured not by who…
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From Pride to Panic: Sharon Keogan
Senator Sharon Keogan once publicly celebrated Pride Month and called for an Ireland free from discrimination against LGBT+ people. Today, she is one of the most prominent opponents of transgender rights, gender recognition and inclusive education in Irish politics. This opinion piece examines that political transformation and what it reveals about the wider culture war…
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Intersex Healthcare and Human Rights: I’ll Be Speaking at LGBT Ireland’s Pride Healthcare Conference 2026
Intersex people remain one of the least understood and most overlooked communities within healthcare. On 12 June 2026, Sorcha Rosa will speak at LGBT Ireland’s Pride Healthcare Conference at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, exploring intersex healthcare, bodily autonomy, human rights, and the urgent need for more informed, patient-centred care.
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Contraception and Athletes: What Every Sportsperson Should Know:
Nearly half of elite athletes use hormonal contraception. This guide explores the benefits, risks, side effects, and performance considerations athletes should understand before making decisions about contraception.
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When Ireland Spoke to the World: Meeting U.S. LGBTQI+ Envoy Jessica Stern
In July 2024, Sorcha Rosa joined LGBTQ+ organisations from across Ireland for a roundtable discussion with Jessica Stern, the U.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons. Looking back from 2026, this article reflects on the conversations, concerns, and hopes that shaped that meeting and what they mean today.
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The Danger Already Inside the Room: Peadar Tóibín and Ireland’s New Respectable Right
Peadar Tóibín is often portrayed as a reasonable conservative voice in Irish politics. As a transgender intersex woman and feminist, I see something different. From opposition to abortion rights to repeated attacks on transgender inclusion, his politics represent a broader socially conservative project that deserves closer scrutiny.
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We Were Never Meant to Be Invisible: Reflections from Bread and Roses 2026
Sorcha Rosa reflects on her appearance at Bread and Roses Festival 2026, discussing intersex liberation, bodily autonomy, healthcare justice and the importance of refusing invisibility.
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BOOBS Was Never Just About Breasts
Sorcha Rosa reflects on appearing in the acclaimed BOOBS documentary and explores escorting, public sexuality, feminism, trans visibility, intimacy, and bodily autonomy in modern Ireland.
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Respectability Was Never Protection
Sorcha Rosa explores escorting, feminism, public visibility, trans identity, labour, loneliness, and the collapse of digital anonymity in modern Ireland.
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From Pilates to Panic Politics: The Wellness Branding of Ireland’s Reactionary Right
South Dublin councillor Linda de Courcy presents herself through wellness branding and “common sense” politics, but her public statements reveal a deeper alignment with anti-trans agitation, anti-immigration rhetoric, and imported culture war politics increasingly shaping Ireland’s reactionary right.