We may not have had parades and parties to mark Malta Pride this year, but we can still celebrate the progress we have achieved.

If there is one government that has proved the strength of its convictions in furthering LGBTIQ+ rights, it is this Labour Government. We are proud of the actions we have taken and we vow that actions in this ambit will remain powerful.

The Nationalist Party missed the train on gay rights so many times during its long tenure in Government. It was only when there was a change in administration of this country that there was action – a jumpstart that turned into a sea of change. A series of reforms that changed the face of Malta. We became a liberal country with solid principles of equality.

No wonder Malta has placed first once again in the ILGA Europe’s Index five consecutive times. 76% of the LGBTIQ community believe that prejudice and intolerance in Malta has decreased in the past five years. That compares to a European average of 40%. 83% of LGBTIQ persons living in Malta believe that the Government’s policy of tackling prejudice and intolerance is effective, way higher than the European Average, which stands at only 33%.

In 2014, when this Government enacted the Civil Union Act, it gave the first ray of light to the LGBTIQ community. 13th June 2014 is the day when Malta made history in gay rights with this legislation. And more was to follow.

Malta’s modern history is a history we are proud of. It defines what we stand for. What are our beliefs as a nation? We stand for love. We stand for equality. And that is why our decisions have been bold.

In 2017, this country made history again with the introduction of equal marriage through the enactment of the Marriage Act and other Laws (Amendment) Act, rendering all marriages and all families equal. And if a Government cannot promise the children of the country it governs equality for all families, what is the point of governing? Because of our commitment to equality, the Government has made the necessary legal changes so that what actually impacts on the ability of a person to adopt children is his or her suitability - not his or her sex or marital status. On the same lines, this Government legislated so that single people and lesbian couples could access IVF services.

The Labour Government has also provided constitutional protection on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity to all persons and rendered conversion therapies illegal. Our ethos as a government is that a family is based on love, not on stereotypes.

The decisions we have taken during the past seven years have affected so many lives, so many families, so many children, and all positively. People no longer have to fight for their basic fundamental rights. They can take comfort in that, what they fought for, has been achieved and will survive for years to come. They have bequeathed a better society to future generations.

Reforms are dynamic. They have to be fuelled by adapting and changing. This is the raison d’etre of the Equality Bill which is being proposed in Parliament. It will provide stronger laws to protect the rights of every human being, by setting benchmarks way above EU minimum standards. There is also a Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill which, for the first time, will establish an independent National Human Rights Institution, answerable only to Parliament, and an Equality Board with a remit to investigate and provide remedies to breaches of equal treatment and discriminatory behaviour.

All the fights of the past will be to no avail if we do not continue to change. We cannot compromise on the principles of equality.

I applaud the Labour Party, which is not sitting pretty and looking at the government as the solo operator in these changes. To the contrary, it has established a policy forum ‘Ilkoll Indaqs’ which will formulate its own proposals.

There may be misunderstandings, there may be different points of views and opinions, but everyone recognises it is only this Government which has the will to bring the necessary change so that everyone in Malta and Gozo is equal.

There may not be parades this year, but there is still plenty of pride, and we are still waving the equality banner high.