Meet Ellen Murray, the 22-year-old Green Party candidate for West Belfast in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections, and the latest and most striking example of how the legacy of the peace process is transforming the political debate there.

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“I am fearful for a lot of my trans friends who live in the south and in the U.S. generally. I'm seeing a lot of them really struggling at the moment. I have a fairly extensive network of trans folk I have known online for years now and they're worried, they're stressed, they aren't able to access the same public services and integrate into society in the ways that they were. They're deeply concerned about the fear and the backlash that is happening against them.

“Bathroom bills are only discussed in fringe circles over here and there are a few candidates – the kind who want to outlaw feminism and rock music – who have it on their manifestoes. Hopefully they won't get too far."

Completely non-evidence based claims made against trans people are used to justify violence and the policing of people's genders in public, Murray says. That can lead to social isolation and to suicide. “The US trans hotline has seen a doubling of calls since HB2 (North Carolina's so-called bathroom bill) was passed. That's appalling.”