A Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM) co-chair has rejected claims that Pride is no longer necessary, arguing that it continues to fulfil several important roles as it can serve as an advocacy platform pushing for legal and policy reforms, a safe community space for LGBTIQ people, and a celebration of progress achieved over previous decades.
Speaking to The Malta Independent on Sunday, MGRM co-chair Amanda Cossai described Pride as particularly important for young people or those rejected by family or friends, providing a space where they can be themselves without fear or judgement. She said that legal equality does not automatically translate into lived equality, arguing many LGBTIQ people still feel the need to constantly assess their safety in public.
Drawing on her own experience as a transgender woman, she said she now faces harassment for appearing feminine and fears additional discrimination if people realise that she is trans. She said everyday interactions, including entering shops or meeting new people, can invoke anxiety over how others will react.
Cossai explained that Malta has not yet achieved full LGBTIQ equality despite having some of Europe's strongest laws. She highlighted the long-awaited Equality Act as a major remaining legislative gap, saying it would prohibit discrimination in the provision of goods and services. She argued that businesses and service providers can still legally refuse service based on sexual orientation or gender identity under current legislation, describing this as evidence that equality is incomplete. She also raised concerns about LGBTIQ asylum seekers, saying there is a lack of transparency around policies and procedures for assessing claims based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
"While we are still perceived as being different, then we're not treated equally," Cossai said.
Cossai became involved in activism in 2017, after benefiting from support within the community and wanting to "give back" by joining MGRM. She said that by then, key legal protections for transgender people were already in force, creating a more positive environment. According to Cossai, LGBTIQ people became increasingly visible in the latter half of the 2010s, which made it easier for people to find support networks and community events. She contrasted this with the 1990s and early 2000s, when LGBTIQ people - particularly transgender people - were largely represented negatively or ridiculed in public discourse.
Since Cossai joined the organisation, MGRM has evolved from primarily campaigning for legal reforms to becoming a major provider of community support services. The organisation now offers counselling, social work, therapy and a residential shelter alongside its advocacy work. MGRM still campaigns for legislative change where needed, but now increasingly focuses on addressing practical needs within the LGBTIQ community.
"We still do our activism part, but it's become just one portion of what we do," Cossai said.
Cossai paid tribute to the pioneers of Malta's LGBTIQ rights movement, saying today's progress was built on their efforts. She highlighted the founding of MGRM in 2001 as a major milestone. Cossai said early activists campaigned for equality despite widespread public opposition and helped secure rights that many people now take for granted. She acknowledged that today's movement faces different challenges but stressed that they are not comparable to those faced by the first generation of activists. Early campaigners demonstrated considerable courage by advocating publicly for LGBTIQ rights at a time when acceptance was far lower.
According to Cossai, Malta's wave of LGBTIQ legislative reforms was the single biggest turning point for equality, arguing that legal change drove wider social acceptance. She said Malta is an example of a country where legislation preceded social progress, rather than the other way around. Cossai credited the Labour government for delivering on its commitment to expand LGBTIQ rights, describing this as a pivotal moment in Malta's equality journey. Legislation helped normalise equality, particularly among people who had little prior understanding of LGBTIQ issues. She decribed this legal shift as especially significant given Malta's previously conservative legal and social landscape.
"It was legislation that led to people becoming more accepting," Cossai said.
Describing today's increased visibility as a "double-edged sword", Cossai said that greater awareness has made it easier for opponents of LGBTIQ rights to target the community publicly. She argued that social media has amplified attacks against transgender people, particularly as debates have become more prominent internationally. She said much of the hostility now affecting Malta's LGBTIQ community is driven by narratives originating in the United States and spreading through social media. She described this as "the cost of visibility" - greater recognition bringing greater exposure to organised criticism and attacks.
Turning to the topic of Malta's top rankings for LGBTIQ equality, Cossai said that this largely reflects its strong laws and policies, but does not fully capture everyday experiences. International rankings, such as the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Index, measure government protections rather than social acceptance. Malta recently fell from first to second place in this index, and Cossai said that this should not be viewed as a setback, but as a sign that other countries are improving. She argued that Malta should not aim to remain the only safe country for LGBTIQ people, but should encourage other countries to follow and improve upon its example.
"I don't want to live in a world where Malta is the only LGBTIQ-safe country in the world," Cossai said.
Cossai explained that social experiences are more complicated than legal rankings suggest. That being said, she argued that people living in Malta can sometimes become overly critical because they are accustomed to the level of freedom and safety available. She said international visitors often have a different perspective, with many expressing surprise at how safe and accepting Malta is compared with their own countries. Cossai highlighted experiences of visitors from countries where same-sex marriage is still illegal, and where LGBTIQ people face criminalisation or political targeting. She recalled an international conference where former President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca addressed a queer audience, saying that this was considered remarkable by attendees from less accepting countries.
Asked whether there are groups within the LGBTIQ community whose needs receive less attention, Cossai said that intersex people remain one of the least discussed and least represented groups. She argued that while trans issues have become a major focus of public debate, intersex experiences often receive far less attention. The lack of visible intersex voices makes advocacy more difficult, as organisations want to avoid speaking on behalf of people whose experiences they do not personally share. She explained that not all intersex variations are immediately visible, and some people may only discover they are intsersex later in life, for example when experiencing fertility issues. Cossai said that progress depends on people from such underrepresented groups being willing and able to share their stories publicly.