LISTEN: Transgender fire service commander made MBE

By Cate McCurry, PA

A member of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has been made an MBE for her work in helping the LGBTQ community.

Karen McDowell, a station commander from Dromore in Co Down, said she has been “shocked and very humbled” by the honour.

Mrs McDowell transitioned gender while working within the fire service and helped promote greater acceptance of transgender people within the fire service.

She was made MBE for her services to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and to the LGBTQ community.

Mrs McDowell, who is married with two children, said she was surprised to be included in the New Year Honours List.

“I thought the email was a joke as I didn’t think you got those things through an email. I was shocked and very humbled,” she said.

“It was definitely a surprise. It’s not something I had ever thought of.”

Mrs McDowell has worked in the fire service for more than 27 years and is based at the learning and development centre.

Karen McDowell speaking to Q Radio

She transitioned gender around ten years ago and used her experience and position in the fire service to carry out further research into how the workplace can support the LGBTQ community.

“I was able to put mechanisms in place and I set up an LGBTQ section in the union in Northern Ireland,” she said.

“That offered support and help in the LGBTQ community, both operationally and also for those that needed it in the service.

“Attitudes now are very different from what they were ten years ago. There would have been a lot more open prejudice and it (gender transition) wasn’t in the mainstream media the way it is now. People would have been afraid to express how that felt and that would have (been) prevalent.

“There is no doubt that attitudes have changed. The problem was that people didn’t know about it and were going on what they believed, making pre-judgements and had developed stereotypes from TV and journalists.

“People now realise that those who transition are the same people they once were.”

Mrs McDowell said that some around her took some time to adapt to the changes.

“Some people will never come around but I would never encounter any problems. There’s not the same fear,” she added.

“(A) workplace should be a place of safety and we have equality laws to protect us so we shouldn’t face prejudice.

“I had the support in work and that influenced how things turned out.”