When it comes to civil liberties, the current administration has taken the country places many had never imagined would be possible.

As far as civil liberties are concerned, the Prime Minister has worked virtual miracles in what was formerly such a conservative country. From the introduction of divorce to a revision of the Church-State concordat on marriage annulments, and from the legislation of transgender rights, to same-sex marriage and to the decriminalisation of simple drug possession, Joseph Muscat has, in so many respects, lived up to his ‘progressive’ label in an outstanding fashion.

And although one cannot agree with each and every policy of this government, in the area of civil rights it is heartening to see that it is living up to its electoral pledges in very fine fashion indeed. As matters stand, one can also be proud to live in these times and to participate in the modernising of this country’s civil rights.

But our latest stride into the gay-friendly world has pushed the envelope a little too far, so far, in fact, that it could actually end up being counterproductive.

The government yesterday unveiled a new campaign ‘All Welcome’, through which shops and commercial outlets are to sport a rainbow sticker on their doors, shop fronts or what have you, to show that gay people are welcome in the establishment.

The concept, on the surface of it, is a good one, but once one starts scratching that surface one realises how much a slap in the face such stickers are to the country’s gay community, which has fought awfully hard to see legislation introduced in the name of sexual and gender equality, only for that battle to be patronised in such a menial way.

To have a sticker on a shop saying that gay people are welcome implies what, exactly?  That gay people are not welcome in other establishments, or that they were not welcome before the sticker?

Or does it mean that we as a nation are so full of ourselves for having blazed the trail the in which we did for gay rights that we simply cannot stop bragging about it?

If anything, the need to have such a sticker on one’s shop is an insult to the gay community, and it is a throwback to perhaps the 1960S when gay sex was still a criminal offence.

The way we see it, every establishment welcomes gay people with no ifs, ands or buts.   A more appropriate sticker would be one saying LGBTIQ persons are not welcome because it is taken as granted that gay people are welcomed everywhere else.

To pout stickers on shops and establishments indicating they are gay-friendly also indicates that others are not.  Shall this newspaper put the sticker on its front page to ensure everyone knows our editorial policy is gay-friendly?

And if there are any establishments that do not welcome gay people, this newspaper would very much like to know where it is so that some appropriate questions could be asked to the owners.

But that certainly is not the case, because, as a nation, we welcome gay people, and businesses will always welcome cold, hard cash whether it is being passed on by a heterosexual or a homosexual hand.

This sticker campaign is not only degrading to the LGBTIQ community, it is insulting and anything but empowering.  What is empowering is not pandering to such petty concepts but, rather, to rise above them and, in the process, raise the country up further still without going down this road of cheap and basically meaningless stunts.