Sex Reassignment
In the 1980s Foy began to suffer physical and psychological problems, which worsened in August and September 1989, when she suffered a total collapse. She had psychiatric counselling, was diagnosed a transsexual and was prescribed a course of hormone treatment. Foy attended two further psychiatrists in England who diagnosed her as suffering from gender identity disorder.
Foy then began a process of transitioning from male to female, with electrolysis, breast augmentation surgery, operations on the nose and Adams apple and voice surgery. On 25 July 1992, Foy underwent full, irreversible sex reassignment surgery in Brighton, England. This involved the removal of some external and internal genital tissues and surgical reconstruction of a vulva. The Irish Eastern Health Board paid £3,000 towards the cost of the procedure.
Subsequently Foy lived entirely as a female. She had left the family home in 1990, and a judicial separation was granted on 13 December 1991. While Foy was at first granted conditional access to the children, who lived in custody of their mother, in May 1994 the Circuit Court prohibited all access.
While Foy, who legally changed her first names in November 1993, was able to obtain passport, driving license, medical card, and polling card in the new name, her request to amend the sex on her birth certificate was refused.
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