The MGRM today presented Minister Helena Dalli with a copy of its Strategic Plan for the period 2015 to 2019. The plan lays out MGRM’s mission, values, goals and objectives for the five year period and was approved at its Annual General Meeting in March 2015.

The document takes a look at what has been achieved since MGRM’s inception in 2001, most notable of which are the legislative milestones such as the correct transposition of the EU’s Employment Directive, the Civil Union Act and the GIGESC Act, the setting up of the National Gay Helpline now incorporated within the Rainbow Support Service and Pride Week, now an annual fixture.

The plan also identifies areas of work that still need to be developed or enhanced such as LGBTIQ health and intersectionality of various grounds.  The MGRM also recognises that the current pace of change where LGBTIQ rights and initiatives are concerned needs to be accompanied by a corresponding attitude change in society if a backlash is to be avoided. The reaction of some to the donation of educational resources to schools is evidence of this.

MGRM has identified seven broad goals which include legislative and policy initiatives, awareness raising, the continued empowerment of the LGBTIQ community, the ongoing provision of support services, networking and sustainability of the organisation.

Minister for Social Dialogue Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties Helena Dalli praised MGRM’s initiative and remarked how this strategic plan compliments the two-year LGBTIQ Action Plan prepared by the LGBTIQ Consultative Council. Dr Dalli invited MGRM to share this five-year strategic plan within the LGBTIQ Consultative Council as it would contribute to knowledge in the area of civil liberties.

Gabi Calleja, Coordinator of MGRM, states: “It has been an incredible journey and a privilege to be part of this LGBTIQ movement. None of these changes would have been possible without the numerous activists who have contributed to this cause over the years, most of who worked in the background but also others who were willing to speak out publicly about, what was then, a stigmatised identity. Looking back at where we started from, it is quite astonishing that we can realistically aspire for Malta to top ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map in 2016.”