Lydia Foy receives the European Citizen's Prize 2015 from the European Parliament
Lydia Foy is among the 47 winners of the European Citizen's Prize 2015 of the European Parliament. Since 2008, the prize has been awarded to citizens or organisations having contributed to promoting better mutual understanding and closer integration between citizens or to facilitating cross-border or transnational cooperation within the EU. The winner will receive a medal of honour at an award ceremony in Ireland and will be invited to a joint event with all 47 winners in Brussels in October.
Dr Lydia Foy is an Irish transgender woman notable for leading legal challenges regarding gender recognition in Ireland. In March 1993 she applied for a new birth certificate to reflect her gender. She was refused and began a 20-year battle to have her birth certificate reflect her gender identity.
When she heard of the award Dr. Lydia Foy commented:"I am so happy, honoured and overwhelmed to receive this award. I want to thank the judges and I would particularly like to thank all four Sinn Féin MEPs for nominating me. It is terrific news and I am so delighted."
Lydia Foy was nominated for the prize by Sinn Féin MEPs Martina Anderson, Lynn Boylan, Matt Carthy and Liadh Ní Riada.
The winners were selected on Wednesday 3 June by a Chancellery in Brussels, chaired by Vice-President Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, FR). The Members of the Chancellery are: Vice-Presidents Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz (EPP, HU), Olli Rehn (ALDE, FI), Dimitrios Papadimoulis (GUE/NGL, EL) and Ryszard Czarnecki (ECR, PL), former EP Presidents Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP, DE) and Enrique Barón Crespo (S&D, ES) and eminent personalities Hannes Swoboda (S&D, AT) and Jose Manuel Barroso (EPP, PT).