Category: News

‘Gay-friendly’ is a term that’s been thrown around multiple times over the past years when describing Malta, with multiple legislation ensuring more (and improved) rights to the LGBTIQ community. Now, the tiny Mediterranean island has another impressive statistic to add to its reputation, and it comes straight from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.

Malta has yet again placed first in the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Europe LGBTIQ Index, scoring more than 91%.

What’s even better than that impressive score, of course, is that this is actually the third consecutive year that Malta has come first in all the 49 countries assessed.

The Rainbow Europe Index, which ranks countries’ achieved LGBTI human rights, actually breaks down the final result in six different categories, helping users better understand where Malta did so excellently… and where work still needs to be done.

As far as the Civil Society Space, Legal Gender Recognition & Bodily Integrity and Hate Crime & Hate Speech categories go, Malta scored an impressive 100% across the board. When it came to the Equality & Non-Discrimination and Family categories , similarly positive results of 90% and 89% respectively were registered.

However, the Asylum category is where Malta still needs to improve, registering a measly 33%. This was down to the country satisfying only two of the six criteria necessary to achieve full marks. These criteria include laws, policy and other positive measures done with the intersex community in mind. 

As far as improvements of the index go, in fact, ILGA-Europe did note that much more progress needs to be done across the continent. The lowest scoring countries in the European Union (Latvia, Poland and Lithuania) all registered very low percentages (16%, 18% and 21%) and only 16 of the 49 countries assessed scored above 50%. 

Even for a country with such a good record, 91.04% is still a very high score. Next on the list came Belgium, with a considerably lower 78.76%. This jump was definitely aided by substantial positive steps which were taken over the past year, such as the legalisation of same-sex marriage back in July 2017. 

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat kicked off the week by tweeting out the positive news, saying he was proud that Malta managed to consolidate its top spot.

Earlier today, Dr. Muscat took the time to celebrate IDAHOBIT – the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia – by tweeting out “In Malta, every day is IDAHOT.”

The tweet still managed to attract some criticism from people who pointed out that the situation is not as great as the statistics might suggest, but as far as actual legislation goes, it’s comforting to see that our tiny Mediterranean island is actually leading the way for other European countries to follow.

Source: lovinmalta.com

Malta żammet l-ewwel post minn 49 pajjiż fl-Ewropa, fl-analiżi minn ILGA-Europe tas-sitwazzjoni tal-jeddijiet tal-bniedem fil-qasam ta’ persuni LGBTIQ. ILGA-Europe ddeskriviet l-impenn konsistenti tal-Gvern Malti għal ugwaljanza akbar għall-persuni LGBTIQ bħala eżempju perfett.

B’total ta’ 91%, Malta baqgħet fl-ewwel post qabel il-Belġju u n-Norveġja li ġew ikklassifikati fit-tieni u t-tielet post bi 78% u b’77% rispettivament. Dawn ir-riżultati kienu ppublikati minn ILGA-Europe fl-okkażjoni tal-Jum Internazzjonali kontra l-omofobija, t-transfobija u l-bifobija.

Ir-rapport jgħid li minkejja l-fatt li Malta żammet postha fil-quċċata tal-klassifika, xorta waħda kien hemm titjib fil-lipijiet tal-pajjiż.

Qalet li l-aktar bidliet sinifikatni kienu bidliet li wasslu għal żwieġ indaqs mill-Parlament Malti f’Lulju li għadda. Qalet li l-liġi daħlet fis-seħħ f’Settembru li għadda u waqt ż-żwiġijiet likienu jinvolvu koppji tal-istess sess bdew jidħlu fir-reġistru pubbliku sa tmiem is-sena li għaddiet.

Bidla oħra sinifikanti kienet il-pass li għamel il-Gvern Malti meta introduċa l-marka X fuq dokumentazzjoni uffiċjali u ta l-possibilità lil persuni li ma jidentifikaw lilhom infushom ma ebda sess biex iniżżlu l-marka X fuq dokumenti uffiċjali bħal passaporti u karti tal-identita.

B’reazzjoni, il-Prim Minsitru Joseph Muscat qal fuq Twitter li l-Gvern jinsab kburi bil-kisbiet li għamlet Malta fl-aħħar snin u wiegħed li l-Gvern jinsab impenjat biex ikompli jaħdem għal aktar drittijiet.

Source: one.com.mt

Malta żammet u saħħet l-ewwel post fl-indiċi ILGA-Europe għall-2018 li janalizza s-sitwazzjoni tad-drittijiet tal-bniedem fil-qasam ta’ persuni LGBTIQ f’49 pajjiż madwar l-Ewropa.  Dan intqal fi stqarrija maħruġa mill-Ministeru għall-Affarijiet Ewropej u l-Ugwaljanza, li fiha jingħad ukoll li b’total ta’ 91%, Malta baqgħet fil-quċċata tal-indiċi għat-tielet sena konsekuttiva filwaqt li d-distakk ma’ pajjiżi oħra li klassifikaw warajna żdied.

Il-Belġju, li ġie fit-tieni post kiseb 79% filwaqt li n-Norveġja kisbet 78%, fejn niżlet mit-tieni għat-tielet post mis-sena li għaddiet.  L-indiċi jeżamina s-sitwazzjoni fl-oqsma tal-ugwaljanza u n-nuqqas ta’ diskriminazzjoni, is-sitwazzjoni familjali, ir-reati ta’ mibgħeda u l-liġijiet kontra diskors ta’ mibgħeda, ir-rikonoxximent legali tal-ġeneru u l-integrita, l-ispazju fis-soċjeta ċivili u l-ażil.

Fir-rapport ta’ din is-sena, ILGA-Europe żiedu tlett kriterji ġodda, li Malta diġa toffri fil-liġi nazzjonali. Dawn huma il-kriminalizzazzjoni ta’ terapiji ta’ konverżjoni tal-identita tal-ġeneru u tal-orjentazzjoni sesswali, t-tneħħija tar-restrizzjoni tal-eta’ u tal-bdil fl-isem għar-rikonoximent tal-ġeneru. Fit-tlett kriterji, Malta baqgħet l-unika pajjiż fl-Ewropa li toffri dawn il-liġijiet. Il-klassifika turi wkoll li Malta hija l-uniku pajjiż li tipprojbixxi interventi mediċi mingħajr deċizjoni infurmata għal persuni intersess.

Fl-istqarrija jingħad li dan ikompli juri kemm il-Gvern Malti għandu viżjoni ċara fil-qasam tal-ugwaljanza li qed tissokta tpoġġi lil Malta fuq quddiem nett bħala l-ewwel pajjiż Ewropew li jilleġiżla f’diversi oqsma biex jagħti l-protezzjoni mistħoqqa liċ-ċittadini kontra kull forma ta’ diskriminazzjoni.

Ir-rapport ta’ ILGA-Europe jelenka sensiela ta’ miżuri li ħa l-Gvern Malti fil-qasam tad-drittijiet ċivili fosthom l-introduzzjoni taż-żwieġ indaqs, l-introduzzjoni tal-X marker fuq id-dokumenti uffiċjali, il-liġi dwar l-identità tal-ġeneru, espressjoni tal-ġeneru u l-karatteristiċi tas-sess u l-liġi li tipprojbixxi diskriminazzjoni fuq bażi ta’ identità tal-ġeneru.

Fl-ewwel reazzjoni, il-Ministru għall-Affarijiet Ewropej u l-Ugwaljanza, Helena Dalli, esprimiet is-sodisfazzjon tagħha għar-rikonoxximent li x-xogħol immexxi mill-Ministeru jgħati l-frott u hu rikonoxxut fuq livell Ewropew. Il-Ministru osservat ukoll li hemm xogħol għaddej fir-rigward tad-9% li fadal, fejn hemm spazju għal titjib, bħal per eżempju, fir-rigward tal-aċċess għall-IVF għal koppji tal-istess sess.

Source: tvm.com.mt

Tonio Fenech has taken time out of avoiding cataclysmic meteorites to put pen to paper for an IVF-related opinion piece in the Times of Malta which culminated in an appeal to the Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM).

In his heartfelt plea at the end, Fenech asked for the letter ‘E’ to be added to the LGBTIQ acronym. But what does ‘E’ stand for? Embryos – of course!

“I hope MGRM are genuine in their fight against discrimination,” said Fenech, “if so let them become LGBTIQE, with E for embryo.”

While the initial connection between embryos and LGBT+ individuals isn’t really clear (after all, the acronym stands for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex and Queer), Fenech’s post was written as a reaction to statements made by the movement last week.

“We condemn any statements that portray children born through such methods as being deprived of their rights or the result of a selfish desire,” MGRM said in its original statement.

“All children, however they are conceived, have no say in how they come into the world and have absolutely no choice as to the family they will be born into. All human beings are fruit of other people’s actions, desires and choices. In this, children born through IVF are no different to other children and neither are their parents.”

This isn’t the first time the LGBT+ community was dragged into arguments over abortion and IVF. Last year ‘liberal thought’ and ‘pleasing the gay lobby’ were blamed for opening discussions on abortion in a Times of Malta editorial.

Source: lovinmalta.com

Fi stqarrija l-Malta Gay Rights Movement wera l-appoġġ għall-emendi proposti fil-liġi għall-protezzjoni tal-Embrijuni.

L-MGRM qalet li l-emendi għandhom l-għan li jneħħu diskriminazzjoni fil-konfront ta’ koppjji tal-istess sess filwaqt li jippriservaw ċelloli ta’ persuni transesswali.Fl-istess stqarrija, l-MGRM wera wkoll is-solidarjetà tiegħu lejn il-Malta Infertility Network u lejn dawk il-ġenituri prospettivi li jagħmlu dak kollu possibli biex ikollhom l-ulied.

Source: one.com.mt

The Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement said that children born through IVF are no different than other children, and neither are their parents, irrespective of their gender and sexual orientation 

MGRM showed their support for the proposed amendments to the Embryo Protection Act, and said that the quality of parenting determines the child’s development, rather than the gender or sexual orientation of parents.

In a statement, the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement reiterated its support for the proposed amendments to the Embryo Protection Act, “which redress the current discriminatory provisions in relation to same-sex couples and which provide for access to the preservation of gametes for trans persons who choose to undergo gender confirmation surgeries.”

MGRM said it stands in solidary with the Malta Infertility Network, all those parents whose chances of conceiving a child will be enhanced with the new procedures, and with all parents who have had children through IVF or assisted insemination.

“We condemn any statements that portray children born through such methods as being deprived of their rights or the result of a selfish desire,” MGRM said.

“All children, however they are conceived, have no say in how they come into the world and have absolutely no choice as to the family they will be born into. All human beings are fruit of other people’s actions, desires and choices. In this, children born through IVF are no different to other children and neither are their parents.”

The LGBTIQ organisation also contended that research demonstrated that the quality of parenting rather than the gender or sexual orientation of parents is what determines the developmental outcomes and life chances of children.

“It is ridiculous to contend that those who access IVF services should be subject to the same assessment undergone by prospective adoptive or foster parents given that no such hurdle exists for any other category of parents.”

MGRM also said it supports the opening up of IVF to single parents. Single parent families are part of the range of diverse family formations, the organisation said, that form part of our society and single parent adoptions have been part of Malta’s public policy for many years.

The organisation also supported the consideration of altruistic surrogacy which is regulated and provides safeguards to ensure that those who agree to act as surrogates do so willingly and voluntarily. Heterosexual couples are the main beneficiaries of surrogacy worldwide, MGRM said.

“It is a generous act no different to donating a kidney, cerebrospinal fluid or blood, all of which many find commendable. Children born through surrogacy do not suffer any adverse effects. The parental attachment to the child still ensues.”

While MGRM is always in favour of discussion and debate, opposition of a majority over a minority is not a justifiable reason to delay the introduction of measures that address discriminatory provisions, the organisation said. MGRM also said that it was hypocritical to limit access to health services which are widely available to Maltese citizens in other countries but which only those with the necessary financial means can currently avail themselves of.

Source: maltatoday.com.mt

Meta kien qed jitkellem dwar id-drittijiet tal-komunità LGBTIQ, il-Prim Ministru qal li bi sforz kollettiv is-soċjetà Maltija kienet mhux biss bidlet il-liġijiet, imma anki l-kultura u l-pajjiż

Il-Prim Ministru kien qed jitkellem waqt ċerimonja li matulha l-Għaqda Malta Gay Rights Movement varat ktieb bl-isem ta’ ‘A Seat at the Table’, li jiddokumenta l-istorja tal-LGBTIQ f’pajjiżna, u kif din wasslet biex pajjizna llum huwa fuq quddiem nett fid-drittijiet u ligijiet ta’ dan is-settur.

Il-ktieb miktub minn Simon Bartolo jiġbor ukoll pubblikazzjonijiet u anki programmi li saru fuq il-mezzi tax-xandir dwar il-qasam tal-LGBTIQ.

Fid-diskors tiegħu l-Prim Ministru sostna li, minkejja li sar ħafna tibdil, il-ktieb għadu mhuwiex mitmum. Stqarr li għad baqa’ xi jsir, u wissa li l-progress mhuwiex inevitabbli, u jekk ma jkunx sostnut jista’ jaqa’ lura.

Dr Muscat qal li riformi oħra li se jkun qed jagħmel il-pajjiż huma dwar l-IVF, li dwarhom jinsab lest għal diskussjoni diffiċli li iżda qal hemm bżonnha biex il-pajjiż verament ikun ugwali għal kulħadd.

Source: tvm.com.mt