Labour said that a new Government will introduce civil unions for same sex couples. “A Labour Government will also be establishing a consultative Council in which NGOs will be able to advise the government on issues affecting the LGBT community. This council will be advising the government before the drafting of important laws, and not after. This way, laws proposed across the board will be tailored to suit the needs of the LGBT community.”

These and other proposals were announced by Labour Leader Joseph Muscat yesterday evening during a seminar organised by LGBT Labour, titled ‘Malta, ours as well’ (Malta Taghna Wkoll), focusing on civil rights in our country.

Other proposals are among others are: “to broaden the remit of the Employment Commission, to cover discrimination by sexual orientation, as well as political discrimination. Together with this new consultative council, a Labour government will examine and consider the possibility of signing Protocol 12 the European Convention of Human Rights, which prohibits discrimination on various grounds, including homosexuality.

“A new government will be enacting a law regulating the identification of transgender persons, which will concern their self-identification based on their gender. This is something Labour genuinely believes in and will work for.

“This new government will also have a member of the Labour Cabinet specifically focusing on equality and civil rights. This person’s role would be to push forward civil rights and equality.”

Muscat held that these proposals were a long time coming, and that Labour believes the time is right to make the next step in civil liberties. “Forty years after the decriminalisation of homosexuality, it is high time that more civil rights are introduced if we truly want a society that belongs to all. This is not about tolerance, but about rights and responsibilities,” Dr Muscat emphasised.

The Labour leader said that “the proposed civil union would be one that reflected the relationship shared between a couple of the same sex who love each other, and not a relationship between siblings. Labour is committed to introduce these civil rights, despite a scaremongering campaign going on.

“Together with the LGBT community, a new Labour government will truly create a Malta that belongs to everyone,” concluded Dr Muscat.

Other speakers at the event included Cyrus Engerer, who chaired the seminar, various experiences from the LGBT community were shared.

Dr Franklin Cachia explained that not only are same-sex couples not recognised by law in Malta, but that even if these couples married abroad and came to live in Malta, their marriage would not be recognised. He held his belief that Labour in government is seeking to change the current status quo, and hoped that the current electoral campaign will serve to raise awareness on these issues in our country.

Oriana Farrugia, a participant in last year’s Youth Parliament, questioned why homosexual individuals should not have equal rights as heterosexuals. In a very touching speech, Oriana remembered many people who had committed suicide because of the response society had given them due to their sexual orientation. The current administration, she held, is conservative and will not work for civil liberties. No one, she concluded, “has the right to steal away another person’s dignity – we all have the right to live and the duty to let live.”

Celine Paris, trans gender and businesswoman, explained how transsexuals faced enormous challenges in life. She held that there are many people who are still waiting to have their gender reassignment operation, or who cannot have it done, and face discrimination on a day to day basis. “This is because their present Identification card does not reflect their actual reality.”

Albert Gauci Cunningham went on to emphasize that such debates are not solely based on legislation, but on the people who need their rights so urgently. “No one should beg for something which by right is theirs, to anyone. Gay people want and deserve a government that understands and legislates for them, and not a government that ignores them until it is election time.” Gauci Cunningham went on to recall his early days in LGBT labour, after feeling out of place within the Nationalist Party.

He highly praised Evarist Bartolo’s work for the LGBT community, namely his presentation of the Gender Identity Bill. He also thanked Joseph Muscat for never faltering in his support towards LGBT Labour and gay rights. Gauci Cunningham concluded that “once again, it was time for Labour to do what other have failed to do and ensure that Malta truly becomes a nation for all.”

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