Social democracy always had a unique central driver – to legislate in favour of those whose rights are threatened or denied. Originally these rights were basic, political and economic.

As social democrats we struggled to make the market work in the interests of all, not the few. We developed an instrument, the welfare state, to widen the scope and institutionalise this drive for more economic and social rights. It turned out to be a formidable instrument which, in one form or another, has been adopted by all parties in liberal democracies.

Today, we continue to be at the forefront of striving to reach and achieving more and – of equal importance – different rights. As European social democrats we are championing rights which were not even on the radar of the founding fathers of our ideology. The rights of those having alternative sexual and gender orientations are among the most important ones.

In this respect, I am extremely proud to be part of the leadership of a government which in a few short years, brought about an epoch-making change. We pulled up the country from the humiliating, medieval depth of being one of two countries in the world without a divorce law to the height of having none other than the Economist run a headline reading, “Malta leads the way for gay and transgender rights in Europe” (2018).

We did not get here by accident or political expediency. A vision was in place and we knew how to prudently turn it into reality. Our journey had to start with granting basic legal rights to those with alternative sexual and gender orientations. By introducing same-sex civil unions we granted the right to love whoever one chooses, a right which was later solidified with the introduction of gay marriage. We granted lesbian women with donated sperm the right to get free IVF treatment. In the coming weeks, gay men will be able to donate blood.

From this sound footing, we addressed more deep-seated rights like that of transgender individuals, an even smaller minority, to determine their gender. We unlocked the dark and lonely jail which confined them and gave them the freedom to be who they wanted to be. And be equal to everyone else.

Great as these strides were, we also knew that they needed to be coupled with institutional change. Not to remain on paper, legal rights needed the right support. In this sense, I am fortunate that, along with my hat as deputy prime minister contributing to the birth of these new rights, I also wear that of health minister piloting many of these crucial changes in our hospitals and health centres to support them.

To start off with transgender individuals, we launched a specific policy addressing their particular needs. We changed legislation in order to entitle them to hormone therapy for free.

We also inaugurated the Gender Wellbeing Clinic in Mtarfa led by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals. Over 100 individuals have already been given assistance. My ministry continues to work hard to aligning the increased demand for services with the necessary clinic allocation and recruitment of specialist staff. We are also striving to develop services tailor-made for users’ needs. A clear example is the implementation of specific gynae clinics in the community for FtM transgender persons in July this year.

Perhaps HIV is not making the headlines as it used to. Yet we are not duped into thinking that the battle is over. Far from it. Currently, we are working on various fronts. Broadly, a specific HIV strategy is being formulated with a focus on prevention, early diagnosis, early linkage to care and treatment. We envisage launching it for consultation later this year.

Concretely, the HIV treatment regime is already in the process of being overhauled. Self-testing HIV kits are now available both at the GU clinic and in local pharmacies. This brings Malta closer to adhering to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development whereby EU member states are committed to ending the Aids epidemic by 2030. We are looking at the feasibility of introducing PrEP for high risk individuals.

In this respect, there is already reason for us to be proud. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report declares that Malta is the only country among 39 European and Central Asian ones, where every individual diagnosed with the HIV virus is treated.

Probably the greatest reward of politics is to see people leading better, healthier and happier lives as a result of one’s policies and decisions. Looking at the Maltese LGBTIQ community today brings a particularly big smile of satisfaction to my face.