'Deeply distressing'- Same-sex couple call out Irish Passport Office for discrimination

A same-sex married couple in Ireland have shared a 'deeply distressing situation' involving the Irish Passport Office and what they believe constitutes discrimination against their LGBTQ+ family.

"We wish to share our story publicly because we feel that what is happening to us may be happening to other LGBTQ+ families, and it raises serious concerns about equality, citizenship rights, and the treatment of modern families under Irish law".

"We, Robyn Ormond-Collins (an Irish citizen) and Evangeline Jane Collins, are a married couple and have a baby boy.

"Robyn is our son’s genetic parent, and Evangeline is his birth parent, effectively carrying the pregnancy in a gestational-surrogacy-like arrangement".

The married couple said that on 8 August 2025, they submitted an Irish passport application for their son based on citizenship by descent through Robyn as his Irish citizen parent.

"After months of silence, we received correspondence from the Department of Foreign Affairs on 28 November 2025 informing us that:

• They do not recognise Robyn as our son’s parent in the context of citizenship,
• Their reasoning appears to rely on outdated parentage definitions that fail to reflect modern family structures and explicitly disadvantage same-sex couples,
• Despite being Robyn’s genetic child, our babies entitlement to citizenship is being questioned,
• They advised they may leave our application “open” pending a Supreme Court appeal unrelated to our circumstances, effectively suspending our child’s rights indefinitely.

The woman said that they find this 'deeply discriminatory'.

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"Opposite-sex married couples are not asked to prove genetic parentage. Their marriages are not treated as conditional or insufficient. Yet in our case, despite being legally married and despite Robyn being the genetic parent, the Passport Office is refusing to recognise her parental status.

"We believe this treatment would not be applied to a heterosexual married couple".

They said that their interactions with the Passport Office have also been extremely difficult.

"The letter we received was signed by a senior official, Marie Eardly, yet despite multiple calls and requests, we have been repeatedly refused her direct email address.

"Every interaction has been obstructive, unhelpful, and dismissive.

"We have been left without any clear answers, timelines, or routes to resolution.

"It is hard to avoid the conclusion that our difficulties stem from being a same-sex couple".

The married couple decided to share their story because they "are exhausted, hurt, and feel personally targeted by a system that should treat all families equally.

"We have contacted all Waterford TDs, as this issue goes beyond our individual case—it exposes broader systemic barriers for LGBTQ+ parents trying to secure basic rights for their children".

"We believe the public should be made aware of how Irish institutions are handling cases involving same-sex families, particularly where the law is being applied in a way that appears unequal, outdated, and inconsistent with modern Irish values.

"We hope that by bringing this matter to light, we can ensure our son—and all children of same-sex couples—are treated with equality, dignity, and fairness".