The new Ireland...!

I really love living in modern Ireland, despite it's frustratingly inept government, terrible public health system, hidebound civil service, lack of decent public transportation and outrageously high cost of living.

Why? Because it's a country moving forward at the speed of light, as evidenced by stories such as the following.

The junior deputy mayor of Derry wants to have a sex change within five years.

Transgender woman Kerri Anderson, who sits on the young people's Shadow Council, said she feels at home in the city after years of prejudice elsewhere.

This weekend she will also parade in Sligo - where once her life was made a misery - in its first Pride event to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

She plans to have surgery in the next five years and hopes her civic role will enable her to help others in her position.

According to Wikipedia, the Derry/Londonderry Shadow Council

is made up from 16-22 year olds elected from geographical areas in the city, as well as interest, political groups and also GLBT community groups. The Shadow Council work in unison with DCC (Derry City Council) to lend a voice to the young generation of Foyle, who make up a large percentage of the population. The Shadow Council elect a Junior Mayor as their representative to the media and public. The current junior mayor is Shadow Councillor Emmet Doyle, with Kerri Anderson as deputy. Derry City Shadow Council is hailed as being a model throughout Northern Ireland with other areas taking up the idea following their example.

Although Derry/Londonderry is in Northern Ireland, technically a separate state from the Republic of Ireland, spiritually, geographically and in other ways the island is one. Belfast is only a little over an hour's drive from Dublin, closer than Galway, Cork Limerick and other cities in the south and west republic.

Complete stories here and here.