Malta’s LGBTIQ community still faces challenges despite the progress seen in recent years, the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement said on Saturday.

“We have achieved a lot in 20 years, but laws don’t transform society overnight, and they are not enjoyed by all,” said MGRM co-coordinator Cynthia Chircop in a speech at Valletta’s Malta Pride Concert.

She told audience members that since the organisation’s first pride march, the group had continued to garner support and “pride kept growing and change happened.”

But despite the progress, the community was still facing discrimination at work and when accessing government services, “and the Equality Act has not been mentioned since the last election", said Chircop.

She said in Malta the LGBTIQ community was “still waiting for a new sexual health policy to tackle many issues including contraceptives, STIs [sexually transmitted infections] and education”.

Meanwhile, free access to medicines used to prevent HIV (‘PrEP’ and ‘PEP’) “remains an electoral promise”, she said.

“Over a year later, the gender clinic still does not have a psychiatrist, affecting trans [transgender] healthcare. LGBTIQ asylum seekers lack access to legal support, are rejected as unfounded or for lack of evidence and risk violence in detention and open centres."

Marching so that LGBTIQ+ asylum seekers get protection, not rejection. Photo: MGRM

Chircop said public incidents of harassment or assault were still being reported, while "people still question our right to have a family.”

Pointing to a lack of representation, she said children in LGBTIQ families “feel invisible at school because they don’t see families like theirs anywhere” while bullying and a lack of state support were realities for those in the community.

Calling bigotry “hard to eradicate”, Chircop signalled the movement’s support for LGBTIQ communities in other countries facing private and state persecution.

“We march for a future where everyone, regardless of who they are or who they love, can live freely and without fear,” she said.

“The fight for equality is far from over, and our presence is a reminder to all that we are here, we are queer, we are proud of it, and we are not going anywhere.”

Chircop thanked the late former PN MP Karl Gouder for "being vocal in the journey towards marriage equality" and Nicky Sansone, the inspirational 55-year-old who died last month following a public battle with cancer.

She also thanked activist organisations including Moviment Graffitti, Drachma, Aditus, LGBTI+ Gozo, Checkpoint Malta and ARC.

In a similar call on Friday, Moviment Graffitti said the government should take pride month as an opportunity to help address pending issues faced by the LGBTIQ community and not only stand and march with them.

Malta Pride started on Friday September 6 and closes Sunday.