The government will rectify past breaches with tonight’s vote on the Gender Identity Bill, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today.

Speaking during a seminar titled ‘Beyond the binary: Equality for trans, gender-queer and intersex people,’ Dr Muscat said that just two years ago, Malta was considered as a country hostile to the rights of trans people.

The PM said that Malta is now looked upon as a leader when it comes to the rights given to trans, gender-queer and intersex people.

He said such rights are gradually becoming intertwined into the national fabric.

“We had to fight, and we are succeeding one policy at a time.”

He said the Gender Identity Bill has been piloted through Parliament smoothly, without any rights being compromised.

Dr Muscat said he was shocked at certain speeches delivering during the debates on the Bill, as they showed an “inbuilt sense of prejudice.”

 

He expressed the government’s commitment to raise LGBTI issues in international fora and supported the call for an EU LGBTI equality roadmap.