Lifting the ban on gay men wishing to donate blood and opening up IVF treatment to lesbians are among the proposals presented to the Prime Minister yesterday by the LGBTIQ consultative council.
Council chair Gabi Calleja said the 2015-2017 action plan, which was drafted under Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli’s direction, targeted numerous needs of the sector.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the international response to Malta’s advancement in the area, brought about through the Civil Unions Bill and the Gender Identity Bill, provided further encouragement to keep moving forward in the area.
Despite the advancements, there remained various gaps which had to be bridged, including the implementation of the laws enacted.
“There are a number of laws and issues we need to look into, such as IVF. We must have a clear discussion of where we want to go,” Dr Muscat said.
He spoke about the need to review the law to examine making IVF available for gay couples.
Despite the political will to overcome the challenges facing the LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and genderqueer) community, one could not underestimate the social challenges ahead, Dr Muscat said. The government would not be guided by numbers, he added.
We must have a clear discussion of where we want to go
Among other issues, the council called for legislation criminalising harmful “conversion therapies”. The government should review police training curricula and ensure police were adequately trained to respond appropriately to reports of hate crime by LGBTIQ victims.
Protocols should be established with third countries that allow for adoption by same-sex couples.
Funding should be allocated towards gender reassignment treatment through the National Health Service while an alternative gender marker to M or F – such as X – on identity cards and passports should be introduced.
HIV status should be introduced as grounds of non-discrimination in equality legislation, while an awareness raising campaign on HIV/AIDS amongst LGBTIQ communities should be conducted.
The University of Malta should carry out a study aimed at garnering a better understanding of older gay men and lesbian women in Malta, the council suggested, while an anti-homophobia and transphobia week should be introduced in secondary and post-secondary State educational institutions.
A public awareness campaign for parents aimed at increasing acceptance of LGBTIQ children and youth should be conducted.
Knowledge on employment issues trans people faced should be enhanced by providing visibility to international best practice and by training government interviewing boards and other people in key roles.