On the occasion of Pride 2024, ADPD – The Green Party official Mina Jack Tolu issued the following reflections on the significance of this celebration.

“Under a false guise of caring for human rights, the Labour governments enacted equality laws which shot Malta to the top of the rainbow Europe map and index for many consecutive years.

But this care was always rather superficial. It was more about what the LGBTQI community could do for Labour, then about what the Labour government can do about human rights.

Human rights are universal. They should be. And granting equal rights to LGBTQI individuals to marry, have legal recognition of identities and families was a duty not a favour.

Now the government must continue their duties to ensure equal rights for all communities.

On access to a human rights based model for trans specific healthcare, further steps must be taken. The delays in intake are leaving many people behind. Despite depathologisation laws in 2016, the gender wellbeing clinic is set-up to fail without a psychiatrist. And that role being empty for over a year now means that all intake appointments have stalled. This is shameful. Not only does it push this community to find solutions elsewhere it also puts undue pressure on the remaining healthcare workers who are doing their utmost to support the trans community. The system must be changed, even if only temporarily to ensure the waiting lists do not reach the interminable ones we see in other countries. Like the UK where with some waiting lists for trans specific healthcare being over 10 years, there is a reported increase of suicide risk amongst trans people.

Those applicants for the gender wellbeing service who are accessing trans specific healthcare on their own, for example because they began their medical transitions in another country, should be fast tracked and not left in limbo. While those people who only want access to family therapy, talk therapy, trans inclusive clinics for gynaecology or urology, and voice therapy should be granted this. 

Last but not least, you either believe in human rights or you don’t. They can’t be granted to one group of society while you pull them away from others. Let this pride serve as another reminder for the government to urgently assist with sea rescues, offer asylum seekers a fair process, and stop the deportation of migrants who have made Malta their home, including children of migrant origin who are so integrated into society that they, rightly so, consider themselves Maltese.”

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Pride 2024 – Id-drittijiet mhux qegħdin hemm biex il-gvern jidher sabiħ

Fil-ġurnata ta’ ċelebrazzjoni ta’ Pride 2024, Mina Jack Tolu irrifletta fuq is-sinifikat ta’ din iċ-ċelebrazzjoni.

“It-twettiq tal-Gvern Laburista ta’ liġijiet favur l-ugwaljanza li wasslu lil Malta fil-quċċata f’dak li huma drittijiet tal-LGBTQI fl-Ewropa mhux ispirati minn xi interess fil-bnedmin u l-bżonnijiet tagħhom imma aktar dwar id-dehra, l-ottika u r-relazzjonijiet pubbliċi.  

Dawn il-passi favur l-LGBTQI minn dejjem kienu kemmxejn superfiċjali. Il-prijorità minn dejjem kienet x’jista’ jiggwadanja l-Partit Laburista, u mhux x’jista’ jagħmel il-Gvern Laburista sabiex imexxi d-drittijiet umani ‘l quddiem. 

Id-drittijiet umani huma universali, kif tassew għandhom ikunu. Il-komunità LGBTQI minn dejjem kellha d-dritt taż-żwieġ; persuni LGBTQI minn dejjem kellhom kull jedd li l-identitajiet tagħhom u l-familji tagħhom ikunu rikonoxxuti mil-liġi. Dawn huma drittijiet, u mhux xi privileġġi speċjali. 

Il-Gvern issa għandu d-dmir li jkompli jħares dawn id-drittijiet għall-komunitajiet kollha.  

Rigward id-dritt għal aċċess għal servizzi tas-saħħa speċifikalment għal persuni trans, hemm aktar xi jsir. Hemm wisq dewmien u stennija, u dan hu ta’ ħsara għal min dawn is-servizzi jeħtieġhom. Minkejja li fl-2016, il-liġi għarfet li persuna trans mhix tbati minn xi patoloġija, il-klinika tas-saħħa tal-ġeneru ilha żmien mingħajr psikjatra u dan jista’ jwassal sabiex din il-klinika ma tilħaqx l-għanijiet tagħha u tfalli. In-nuqqas ta’ professjonisti fil-qasam tas-saħħa mentali ilu jippersisti għal aktar minn sena u l-appuntamenti fil-kinika jinsabu weqfin. Din hi sitwazzjoni tal-mistħija, li qiegħda mhux biss twassal lil din il-komunità sabiex tfittex soluzzjonijiet banda oħra; qiegħda toħloq stress żejjed fuq il-kumplament tal-ħaddiema tas-saħħa li qegħdin jagħmlu kull ma jistgħu sabiex ikunu ta’ għajnuna għall-komunità trans. Is-sistema hemm bżonn li tinbdel, anke jekk biss għal żmien qasir sabiex il-waiting lists ma jkomplux jitwalu bħal ma qiegħed iseħħ f’pajjiżi oħra. Fir-Renju Unit, fejn hemm każijiet ta’ persuni trans li ilhom fuq il-waiting list għal aktar minn għaxar snin, ġiet irreġistrara żieda fir-riskju ta’ suiwċidju.

Fl-aħħar mill-aħħar, hemm bżonn li meta ngħidu li aħna favur id-drittijiet umani, inkunu konsistenti. Kif nistgħu nirrikonoxxu d-drittijiet ta’ minoranza fis-soċjetà filwaqt li nċaħħdu lil ħaddieħor minn drittijiet li huma tagħhom? Din il-Pride għandha sservi bħala tfakkira lill-Gvern li ma jistax jaħrab mid-dmir li jsalva l-ħajjiet mill-għarqa, li joffri lil persuni li qed ifittxu l-ażil proċess ġust, u li jieqaf milli jkeċċi immigranti, inkluż tfal li jħossuhom u fil-fatt huma Maltin bl-għeruq u x-xniexel, li għalihom, Malta saret pajjiżhom.”