HISTORIC MOMENT FOR TRANS AND INTERSEX PEOPLE AS MALTA PASSES THE GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER EXPRESSION AND SEX CHARACTERISTICS BILL ACT

“This law is a great example of what can happen when equality rights and dignity are at the forefront of  Political conversation,” said Helen Kennedy, ILGA Co-Secretary General. “With the crucial contribution of Ruth Baldacchino, ILGA’s co-Secretary General, Malta makes history in advancing LGBTIQ rights globally.”

As of today Malta is the first country in the world were a law affirms the right to gender identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth. recognition and self-determination, promoting anti-discrimination and equality policies as well as bodily intergrity and physical authonomy. Stating that “It shall be unlawful for medical practitioners or other professionals to conduct any sexrefers to the classification of a person as male, female, or other - usually made at birth, written on a birth certificate, and usually based on the appearance of their external anatomy. A person’s sex, however, is actually a combination of bodily characteristics, including chromosomes, hormones, internal and external reproductive organs, and secondary sex characteristics. assignment treatment and/or surgical intervention on the sex characteristicsa term that refers to physical features relating to sex - including genitalia and other sexual and reproductive anatomy, chromosomes, hormones, and secondary physical features emerging from puberty. of a minor which treatment and/or intervention can be deferred until the person to be treated can provide informed consent”  the GIGESC act represents a huge improvement in the protection of the bodily integrity of intersexan umbrella term for the spectrum of variations of sex characteristics that naturally occur within the human species. Intersex people are born with variations of sex characteristics (such as genitals, reproductive organs, hormonal and chromosomal patterns) that are more diverse than stereotypical definitions of male or female bodies. Up to 1.7% of the global population are born with such traits; yet, because their bodies are seen as different, intersex children and adults are often stigmatised and subject to harmful practices – including in medical settings - and discriminated against. children and infants in Malta.

“For Malta, this is a huge step forward” says ILGA Co-Secretary General Ruth Baldacchino, who works at the Maltese Ministry for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties, “both in terms of LGBTIQ rights but also broader human rights. Four years ago, we were still voting in a referedum that would see the introduction of divorce. Today, we have introduced a law that means so much to intersexan umbrella term for the spectrum of variations of sex characteristics that naturally occur within the human species. Intersex people are born with variations of sex characteristics (such as genitals, reproductive organs, hormonal and chromosomal patterns) that are more diverse than stereotypical definitions of male or female bodies. Up to 1.7% of the global population are born with such traits; yet, because their bodies are seen as different, intersex children and adults are often stigmatised and subject to harmful practices – including in medical settings - and discriminated against., transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. and genderqueer people in Malta and beyond.  

Whilst recognising that each region and country has its own complexities and experiences, I hope that the Maltese experience and the Maltese law will inspire other LGBTIQ people around the world to use this experience and law in a strategic way. I hope that other governments are influenced positively by Malta when it comes to granting equal rights to intersexan umbrella term for the spectrum of variations of sex characteristics that naturally occur within the human species. Intersex people are born with variations of sex characteristics (such as genitals, reproductive organs, hormonal and chromosomal patterns) that are more diverse than stereotypical definitions of male or female bodies. Up to 1.7% of the global population are born with such traits; yet, because their bodies are seen as different, intersex children and adults are often stigmatised and subject to harmful practices – including in medical settings - and discriminated against., transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. and genderqueer people.  At the same time, I look forward to a Malta that is influenced positively by other countries’ experiences when it comes to fully recognising more rights, particularly women and migrants rights.”

Read the full text of the law here: http://tgeu.org/gender-identity-gender-expression-sex-characteristics-act-malta-2015/