April 16, 2014
IGLYO
April 14, 2014 marked a historic day for all people in Malta when parliament passed a bill that affords same sex couples access to civil unions. The new relationship recognition for same sex couples includes almost all of the rights as married couples, including the right to adopt children.
IGLYO applauds the work of Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM), the organisation that began the public discourse around equality and diversity in Malta. In addition to the introduction of civil unions, their work has resulted in the inclusion sexual orientation and gender identity as protected grounds in the Maltese constitution. Malta is the first country to protect from discrimination based on gender identity in their highest legal text.
IGLYO’s Co-Chair, Patrick Dempsey, offered this statement: “IGLYO is excited to see change happen so quickly in Malta, particularly the constitutional protection for trans people. We are hopeful that this will become a catalyst for change across the continent. With such great leaps in human rights occurring as a result of activism, we hope that LGBTQ young people throughout Europe see the potential for change and positive recognition.”
IGLYO is proud to have We Are: University of Malta as a member organisation as well, a group that has done much work raising awareness among young people in country. Here’s what We Are had to say of the stream of good news: ”This news confirms that the government is serious about its pre-election pledges to increase equality across the board in Malta. These steps will help to regularise the situation for long term same-sex couples and provide plenty of peace of mind. It will also send a clear message to society that we are all equal and deserve the same love and respect.’’
