This project brought together LGBTIQ young people and parents of LGBTIQ individuals to draw up an information booklet aimed at LGBTIQ individuals and their parents. One part of the booklet aims to provide information for LGBTIQ individuals who are exploring their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and gender expression, coming out issues and searching for general information on support and legal structures. For the first time, the booklet also addresses intersex persons.
The other part of the booklet aims to provide information and support to the parents of LGBTIQ individuals in their search for understanding their children’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics, as well as inform them of the local support and legal structures that are available to them and to their children.
The three staff members working on this project, engaged with LGBTIQ young people through the LGBTIQ Youth Drop-in of the Rainbow Support Service and parents of LGBTIQ individuals who form part of the Drachma Parents Group to identify key persons to contribute to writing up the text for this booklet. Three young people and three sets of parents contributed in the writing of the text. The working group meetings took place at the MGRM office in Mosta and the Youth Hub of Aġenzija Żgħażagħ in St Venera. The young people and parents came together to discuss and draw up the text for the booklet, and the texts were then discussed again with the wider LGBTIQ young people attending the LGBTIQ Youth Drop-In and the other parents who form part of Drachma Parents Group. Other NGOs working with LGBTIQ youth and parents of LGBTIQ individuals were consulted on the themes to be covered in this booklet prior to the design and printing stage to ensure that the draft covered the issues as comprehensively as possible. The coordination of this project carried out by the three staff members, the design and the printing were the main costs of this project, with the majority of the funds going towards the design, original illustrations and printing of the booklets. Once the booklets were printed, a launch meeting was held with all the contributors of the booklet and a press release was issued. A total of 4,000 booklets where printed and a percentage of them were handed over to the other NGOs for dissemination. These booklets will be disseminated by the Rainbow Support Service professionals and the MGRM committee to outreach to those members in society who would benefit from the information that these booklets provide.