LGBT rights in Malta

LGBT rights in Malta

Location of  Malta  (dark green)

– in Europe  (light green & dark grey)
– in the European Union  (light green)  –  [Legend]

Same-sex sexual activity legal? Legal since 1973
Gender identity/expression Transgender people allowed to change gender without surgery
Military service Gays, lesbians and bisexuals allowed to serve openly
Discrimination protections Yes (both sexual orientation and gender identity)
Family rights
Recognition of
relationships		 Civil unions since April 2014
Same-sex marriage law passed; to be performed from late 2017
Adoption Yes, as individuals and jointly if in a civil union or marriage

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Malta are considerably advanced, even by European standards. Throughout the late-20th century, the rights of the LGBT community received more awareness and same-sex sexual activity became legal in 1973, with an equal age of consent. Malta has been recognized for providing a high degree of liberty to its LGBT citizens. In October 2015, the European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe) ranked Malta 1st in terms of LGBT rights out of 49 observed European countries.[1][2] Malta is one of the only few countries in the world to have made LGBT rights equal at a constitutional level.[3][4] In 2016, Malta became the first country in the European Union to ban conversion therapy.[5][6]

Discrimination regarding sexual orientation and gender identity and expression has been banned nationwide since 2004. Gays, lesbians and bisexuals have been allowed to openly serve in the military since 2002. Gender identity and intersex rights in Malta are of the highest standard in the world under the Gender Identity, Gender Expression And Sex Characteristics Act.[7] A law passed creating civil unions equal to marriage in all but name, with the same rights and obligations including joint adoption rights, was enacted in April 2014. However assisted reproduction and access to surrogacy are still banned for same-sex couples.

A 2015 opinion poll indicated that a majority of the public support same-sex marriage, with a significant increase over a decade. Legislation allowing same-sex marriage was approved by the parliament on 12 July 2017.[8]

History

Order of St. John

During the rule of the Order of St John, sodomy was considered a common practice in Malta, and generally associated with Italians and Muslims. It was common for males attracted towards other males, including knights who had to be supposedly celibate, to seek sexual favours with young looking men, identifiable effeminate males, and sometimes pederastry.[9]

Towards the 17th century there was harsh prejudice and laws towards those who were found guilty or speak openly of being involved in same-sex activity. English voyager and writer William Lithgow, writing in March 1616, says a Spanish soldier and a Maltese teenage boy were publicly burnt to ashes for confessing to have practiced sodomy together. As a consequence, and fear to similar faith, about a hundred males involved in same-sex prostitution sailed to Sicily the following day. This episode, published abroad by a foreign writer, is the most detailed account of LGBT life during the rule of the Order. It represents that homosexuality was still a taboo, but a widespread practice, an open secret, and LGBT-related information was suppressed.[9]

An uncommon case, heard at the Castellania in 1774, was when an intersex person, 17-year-old Rosa Mifsud from Luqa, petitioned for a sex change by wearing as a man,[10] instead of the female clothing worn ever since born.[11] Two medical experts were appointed by the court to perform an examination.[10][11] This court case is notable as it details the use of experts in the field, similar to the late modern period.[11] The examiners were the Physician-in-Chief and a senior surgeon, both working at the Sacra Infermeria.[11] Mifsud had petitioned the Grandmaster to be recognized as a male, and it was the Grandmaster himself who took the final decision for Mifsud to wear only men clothes from then on.[10]

British period

As a British colony, Malta adopted the Penal Code of Great Britain which criminalised same-sex relations between men. There are examples of individuals caught out by the law - including the lawyer, Guglielmo Rapinett who was arrested for lewd behaviour in the 19th century while trying to seduce a guard.[12][13][14]

In 1960 John Baptist 'adopted' William Nathaniel Fenton, thirty years younger, when unofficially the two were in an open secret relationship. At the time adoption law did not exist, however, a law in 1971 passed prosumably so that Fenton could inherited his father-in-law Villa Francia estate in Lija. The two organized LGBT parties at the villa, and at the will of Fenton it was left as a property to the state. Today it is an official residence for the Prime Minister of Malta.[15]

Independent Malta

Malta became independent in 1964 and at this point Malta was comparably still backwards in terms of the sexual revolution and progression in Europe.[16] Only in 1973 did the Labour Government decide to change Malta's laws to match those of Western Europe.[17]

The Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM), founded in 2001, is a socio-political non-governmental organisation that has as its central focus the challenges and rights of the Maltese LGBT community.[18] In February 2008, MGRM organised and presented a petition to Parliament asking for a range of measures to be introduced to protect them through the law. The petition was signed by more than 1,000 people and asked for legal recognition of same-sex couples, an anti-homophobic bullying strategy for the island nation's schools and new laws targeting homophobic and transphobic crimes. The petition received the backing of Alternattiva Demokratika. Harry Vassallo, its leader, said that the recognition of gay rights would be a step forward.[19][20]

In October 2009, George Abela, the President of Malta, met with the board of the European Region of ILGA at the presidential palace as the group prepared to open its 13th annual conference in Malta. Abela agreed that information and education were important in tackling discrimination and fostering acceptance of differences and that Malta has seen progress in LGBT acceptance. He was said that "love is the most important thing there is and it can't be 'graded' based on sexual orientation". It the first time a head of state met with ILGA-Europe members during one of the group's annual conferences.[21]

Legality of same-sex sexual activity

Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Malta since January 1973.[22][23] The Prime Minister of Malta, Dom Mintoff, and the Labour Party legislated for the removal of the British-introduced sodomy law, at the time opposed by the Roman Catholic Church in Malta and the Maltese Nationalist Party.[24] The age of consent is equal at 18 for all.[25]

Recognition of same-sex relationships

On 28 March 2010, then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi announced that the Government was working on a bill to regulate cohabitation for opposite and same-sex couples. He said it was hoped the bill would be completed by the end of the year.[26][27][28] On 11 July, Gonzi confirmed that the bill would be presented in Parliament by the end of 2010.[29][30] The draft bill was presented by the Minister of Justice on 28 August 2012 and was under consultation process until 30 September.[31][32] The bill was introduced, but died in December 2012 due to the fall of the Government and expected dissolution of Parliament.[33]

Following a campaign promise during the 2013 elections, the Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs, and Civil Liberties of the newly elected Labour Government announced that the Government was entering consultations for a bill granting civil unions to same-sex couples, with the bill presented in Parliament on 30 September 2013.[34]

The Civil Unions Bill, which gives same-sex couples rights equivalent to marriage, including the legal right to adopt children jointly, under the legal name civil union rather than marriage, was debated in October 2013[35] and approved at the third reading on 14 April 2014. President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca signed it into law on 16 April 2014.[36]

In March 2016, Prime Minister of Malta and leader of the governing Labour Party Joseph Muscat stated at an International Women's Day event he was personally in favour of legalising same-sex marriage in the country and that it was "time for a national debate" on the issue.[37] The opposition Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil responded by stating that though the Government was attempting to use the issue of same-sex marriage to distract from a government scandal, he could foresee no difficulty in amending Malta's civil union legislation of 2014 to legalise same-sex marriage.[37] The country's leading gay rights organisation subsequently called for a bill to be put forward opening up marriage to all couples irrespective of gender without delay.[38]

Following the June 2017 snap elections, the Labour government presented a bill for amendments to marriage law in parliament, which gives equal rights to same-sex couple and opposite-sex couples. The bill further the rights to all couples, compared to the old law, was introduced on 24 June and passed the legislature on 12 July. The law replaces all gender-specific references in Maltese laws with gender-neutral terminology. The law will go into effect later in the year after it is signed by the President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and followed by a decisive date by Minister Helena Dalli.[8]

Adoption and parenting

Maltese law grants adoption rights to married couples and single persons, including single LGBT individuals. Since April 2014, same-sex couples in a civil union can jointly adopt.[39][40] The first official adoption by a same-sex couple took effect on 13 July 2016.[41][42][43][44] For an effective adoption (by a single person, couple or partner) a court ruling is required for every individual child, irrespective of the sexual orientation of any of the prospective parent or parents.[45]

Surrogacy is presently unlawful regardless and IVF access for single women and lesbians is unlawful under the Embryo Protection Act 2012.[46] In 2014, the Government announced it had no intention to legalize surrogacy.[47] On 7 September 2015, Prime Minister Muscat announced that the Government will introduce a bill to allow IVF access for female same-sex couples, among others.[48] On 30 June 2017, Minister of Health Chris Fearne stated that the government will introduce a bill "soon".[49][50]

Discrimination protections

LGBT flag map of Malta

Since 2004, Malta has a ban on anti-gay discrimination in employment, in line with European Union requirements[20] but discrimination remained common to some extent until 2009 according to results through questionnaires carried with the participation of the LGBT community.[51] Anti-discrimination protections were expanded in June 2012.[52]

In June 2012, Parliament amended the Criminal Code to prohibit hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity.[53][54][55]

On 14 April 2014, the Parliament of Malta unanimously approved a bill which amends the Constitution to add protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.[56] It was signed by the President on 17 April 2014.[4]

On 10 December 2015, the Government launched a public consultation on a draft of the comprehensive Equality Act, and on a bill to establish the Human Rights and Equality Commission.[57][58]

Blood donation

Gay and bi men in Malta are not allowed to donate blood.[59]

In May 2016, Minister for Health Chris Fearne announced that a technical committee set up in 2015 to review the ban had recently completed its report and recommended scrapping the current indefinite deferral on donations. The new policy, if implemented, would still exclude donations from men who have had sex with another man any time in the previous 12 months.[59]

In September 2016, the youth wing of the Labour Party announced their support for lifting the ban.[60]

Conversion therapy

On 16 June 2015, Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli announced that the Government planned to introduce a bill to ban sexual orientation or gender identity conversion therapy on minors.[61] On 15 December 2015, Dalli presented the bill for its first reading in Parliament. The public consultation of the bill was launched the same day and lasted until 15 January 2016.[62][63][64][65] The bill passed the second reading and the committee stage with amendments in November 2016, by a unanimously held vote. It then moved to a third reading and later signed by the President before going into effect.[66] The MCP (Malta Chamber of Psychologists, the MAP (Maltese Association of Psychiatry), the MACP (Malta Association for the Counselling Profession) and the MAFT & SP (Malta Association of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice) have given their full support to the bill to come into law.[6] The bill unanimously passed its final reading on 6 December. Malta thus became the first country in the European Union to prohibit the use of conversion therapy.[5][67][68]

Gender identity and expression

Female, male and transgender toilet sign at the Fortifications Interpretation Centre, Valletta

In September 2006, Joanne Cassar, a transgender woman, was denied the right to marry her partner. In 2007, a judge in Malta ordered government officials to issue her the appropriate documentation.[69] The Director of Public Registry successfully contested that ruling in May 2008. Cassar filed a constitutional application in the First Hall of the Civil Court charging a violation of her fundamental human rights. She won that case initially, but lost on appeal in 2011.[70] In April 2013, she reached a settlement with the Government that included financial compensation in addition to promised statutory changes.[71] A leader of the Nationalist Party apologised for its part in contesting Cassar's right to marry.[72]

In April 2014, Malta became the first European state to add recognition of gender identity to its Constitution as a protected category.[73]

Applicants can change their gender identity documents by simply filing an affidavit with a notary, eliminating any requirement for medical gender reassignment procedures under the Gender Identity, Gender Expression And Sex Characteristics Act.[7][74][75] In December 2016, the Act was amended to allow minors who are sixteen and over to have their gender changed without needing to file and application in court and parental approval.[76] In November 2015, the Minister of Home Affairs informed that 40 people had legally changed their gender since enactment of the law mentioned above.[77]

Intersex protections

In April 2015, Malta became the first country in the world to outlaw sterilisation and invasive surgery on intersex people. Also applicants can change their gender identity documents by simply filing an affidavit with a notary, eliminating any requirement for medical gender reassignment procedures under the Gender Identity, Gender Expression And Sex Characteristics Act.[7][74][75]

The Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act, approved by Parliament in 2015, also prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex characteristics thereby protecting intersex people from discrimination.[7][78][74]

Living conditions and societal attitudes

LGBT discothèque in Paceville

Living conditions for LGBT people have become more favourable in recent years with same-sex relationships being accepted in public though some negative conditions remain. A 2015 EU-wide survey, commissioned by the Fundamental Rights Agency, showed that 54% of gay people in Malta felt comfortable holding the hand of a same-sex partner in public, though only 40% were out at their workplaces.[79]

Malta has an active LGBT community, with well attended annual gay Pride parades in Valletta. A majority of prominent political leaders in Malta appeared at the pride parade in 2016, including Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Opposition leader Simon Busuttil.[80] There was a notable gay club in Floriana, named Tom Bar, which was the oldest in Malta. Another presently operating LGBT-friendly club is Monaliza in Valletta.[81][82][83]

In July 2007, Malta's Union of Teachers threatened to publish the details of four attempts to out gay and lesbian teachers from Roman Catholic school posts. According to the union, Church schools were under pressure from parents to fire the teachers, leading to four interventions in the past five years.[84][85]

In 2015, the donation of reading material by the MGRM, that contained the teaching of diverse families including same-sex parenting,[86] to the education department caused some controversy. Minister of Education Evarist Bartolo took a position not to distribute the material, questioning both directly inclusion and indirectly discrimination.[87]

Public opinion

Polls have indicated a quick and drastic shift in public opinion on LGBT rights in Malta. The 2006 Eurobarometer survey found that 18% of the population supported same-sex marriage whereas 73% were against (63% totally against). Adoption by same-sex couples was supported by 7% and opposed by 85% (76% totally opposed).[88]

In June 2012, a poll commissioned by MaltaToday news website found that support for same-sex marriage had increased significantly, with 41% of the population in favour of same-sex marriage and 52% against it.[89] The 2012 data also showed a generational gap, with only 23% of people older than 55 supporting the legalisation of same-sex marriage while 60% of those aged 18–35 did so.

The 2015 Eurobarometer found a majority of 65% in favour of same-sex marriage, with 29% against. This was the largest increase in support of any country surveyed in the Eurobarometer compared to the 2006 results.[90]

In May 2015, PlanetRomeo, a LGBT social network, published its first Gay Happiness Index (GHI). Gay men from over 120 countries were asked about how they feel about society’s view on homosexuality, how do they experience the way they are treated by other people and how satisfied are they with their lives. Malta was ranked 27th with a GHI score of 61.[91]

Military service

Malta allows people to serve openly in the armed forces regardless of their sexual orientation. According to the Armed Forces of Malta, a number of openly gay people serve in the AFM, and the official attitude is one of "live and let live", where "a person’s postings and duties depend on their qualifications, not their sexual orientation".[92]

Summary table

Same-sex sexual activity legal (Since 1973)
Equal age of consent (Since 1973)
Anti-discrimination laws in employment (Since 2004)
Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services (Since 2012)
Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech) (Since 2012)
Anti-discrimination laws concerning gender identity (Since 2014)
Recognition of same-sex couples (e.g. civil unions) (Since 2014)
Same-sex marriage (Since 2017)[93]
Adoption by single LGBT person (Since 2008)
Stepchild adoption by same-sex couples (Since 2014)
Joint adoption by same-sex couples (Since 2014)
LGBT people allowed to serve openly in the military
Right to change legal gender (Since 2015)
Intersex minors protected from invasive surgical procedures (Since 2015)
Conversion therapy banned (Since 2016)
Access to IVF for lesbian couples (pending; 2017)[94]
Access to surrogacy for gay male couples [94]
MSMs allowed to donate blood (proposed)

Selected literature

See also

References

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  2. ↑ "Country Ranking".
  3. ↑ Malta among just five countries which give LGBT people equal constitutional rights The Times of Malta
  4. 1 2 "AN ACT to amend the Constitution of Malta". Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 Benjamin, Butterworth (6 December 2016). "Malta just became the first country in Europe to ban ‘gay cure’ therapy". Pink News. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016.
  6. 1 2 "L-MCP dwar il-kriminalizzazzjoni tal-Gay Conversion Therapy". Marsa: iNews Malta. 28 November 2016. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "ILGA-Europe".
  8. 1 2 Pace, Yannick (12 July 2017). "Malta legalises same-sex marriage, as parliament votes in favour of marriage equality bill". Malta Today. Archived from the original on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  9. 1 2 Buttigieg, Emanuel (2011). Nobility, Faith and Masculinity: The Hospitaller Knights of Malta, c.1580-c.1700. A & C Black. p. 156. ISBN 9781441102430.
  10. 1 2 3 Savona-Ventura, Charles (2015). Knight Hospitaller Medicine in Malta [1530-1798]. Lulu. p. 115. ISBN 132648222X.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Cassar, Paul (11 December 1954). "Change of Sex Sanctioned by a Maltese Law Court in the Eighteenth Century" (PDF). British Medical Journal. Malta University Press. 2 (4901): 1413. PMC 2080334 Freely accessible. PMID 13209141.
  12. ↑ "Who's Who in Gay and Lesbian History Vol.1".
  13. ↑ "Who's who in Gay and Lesbian History".
  14. ↑ Aldrich R. & Wotherspoon G., Who's Who in Gay and Lesbian History, from Antiquity to WWII, Routledge, London, 2001
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  16. ↑ "Malta becomes independent, 1964: A police stabbing, a grenade, and when having a gay time was cause for an advert". Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  17. ↑ "Malta".
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  20. 1 2 Malta's gay group ask for equal rights, Pink News, 21 February 2008
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  31. ↑ "Update 2 - Cohabitation bill recognises same-sex couples but not families, JPO to propose amendments". MaltaToday.com.mt.
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  37. 1 2 "'I am in favour of gay marriage, time for debate on the matter' - Joseph Muscat". Times of Malta. 4 March 2016.
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  39. ↑ Calleja, Claudia (16 January 2013). "Consensus over gay adoption welcomed". Times of Malta. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  40. ↑ White, Hilary (31 March 2014). "Maltese president refuses to sign bill allowing gay civil unions and expanding gay adoption". Life Site News. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  41. ↑ Ltd, Allied Newspapers. "Court gives go-ahead for adoption by gay couple in first for Malta". Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  42. ↑ Anon (15 July 2016). Malta’s first child adopted by a gay couple; parents appeal the public to educate others. The Malta Independent. Retrieved on 8 August 2016.
  43. ↑ "Family Court approves first adoption by same-sex couple". Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  44. ↑ "Court approves first adoption by gay couple in Malta - TVM News". Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  45. ↑ "Adoption Services". Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  46. ↑ "AN ACT to provide for the protection of human embryos and other ancillary matters". Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  47. ↑ Ltd, Allied Newspapers. "Ban on surrogacy to stay in place". Times of Malta. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  48. ↑ Vella, Matthew (7 September 2015). "Prime Minister ‘resolute on embryo freezing’". Malta Today. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  49. ↑ "New IVF law to eliminate same-sex discrimination, Health Minister pledges". Times of Malta. 30 June 2017. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  50. ↑ Pace, Yannick (30 June 2017). "Fearne: Government has mandate to update IVF law". Malta Today. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  51. ↑ Allied Newspapers Ltd. "Anti-gay graffiti sprayed on walls in man's home". Times of Malta.
  52. ↑ "thumbnail". www.parlament.mt. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  53. ↑ AN ACT to amend the Criminal Code, Cap. 9
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  57. ↑ "Towards A Robust Human Rights And Equality Framework". socialdialogue.gov.mt. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  58. ↑ "Ratification of Protocol 12 commits government to raise the bar on equality - Helen Dalli". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  59. 1 2 Ban on gay men’s blood donation may be relaxed The Times of Malta
  60. ↑ Gay men should be allowed to donate blood - Labour youths The Times of Malta
  61. ↑ Diacono, Tim (16 June 2015). "Gay 'conversion therapy' could become a criminal offence". Malta Today. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  62. ↑ "Malta could become first country in Europe to ban ‘gay cure’ therapy". PinkNews. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  63. ↑ "Public consultation launched for draft law criminalising harmful conversion therapies". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  64. ↑ "Parlament Ta' Malta". www.parlament.mt. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  65. ↑ "Towards the Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression Act". socialdialogue.gov.mt. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  66. ↑ "Malta set to ban gay conversion therapy as Bill passes final hurdle". Malta Today. 21 November 2016.
  67. ↑ Stack, Liam (7 December 2016). "Malta Outlaws ‘Conversion Therapy,’ a First in Europe". New York Times. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  68. ↑ Henley, Jon (7 December 2016). "Malta becomes first European country to ban 'gay cure' therapy". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 December 2016.
  69. ↑ "Malta transsexual given permission to marry". Pink News. 16 February 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  70. ↑ "Joanne Cassar loses transsexual marriage case". Times of Malta. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  71. ↑ Borg, Annaliza (16 April 2013). "Settlement between Joanne Cassar and government signed". Malta Independent. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  72. ↑ Balzan, Jurgen (10 June 2013). "De Marco says PN government let transgender persons down". Malta Today. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  73. ↑ Dalli, Miriam (16 April 2014). "Transgender Europe applauds Malta for naming gender identity". Malta Today. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  74. 1 2 3 Bill No. 70 - Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Bill Archived 2 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
  75. 1 2 Cec Busby. "Malta scraps surgery and setrislation measures and passes protections for intersex people - Gay News Network".
  76. ↑ "Bill outlawing gay conversion therapy approved". Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  77. ↑ "40 gender changes since new law". MaltaToday.com.mt.
  78. ↑ Rainbow Europe: Malta
  79. ↑ Borg, Martina (7 July 2015). "'Social attitude to LGBTIQ community must catch up to legislation' - Dalli". Malta Today. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  80. ↑ "Party leaders attend Gay Pride in Valletta". Times of Malta. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  81. ↑ Grech, Joseph (14 January 2013). "Party in the sun on Malta". Gay Star News. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  82. ↑ Borg, Victor Paul (2002-01-07). The Rough Guide to Malta & Gozo. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781858286808.
  83. ↑ The Out Traveler. LPI Media. 2006-01-01.
  84. ↑ "MaltaToday". archive.maltatoday.com.mt. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  85. ↑ "Malta teachers take on Roman Catholic homophobia". PinkNews.
  86. ↑ "Gay-themed books in schools: Children should be given choices - clinical psychologist - The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  87. ↑ "LGBTIQ-friendly books help children feel included, 'teach tolerance and respect'". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  88. ↑ "EUROBAROMETER 66 FIRST RESULTS" (PDF). TNS. European Commission. December 2006. p. 80. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  89. ↑ Vella, Matthew (5 June 2012). "Heartening change in attitudes to put gay unions on political agenda". MaltaToday. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  90. ↑ "Special Eurobarometer 437: discrimination in the EU in 2015" (PDF). TNS. European Commission. October 2015. p. 373. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  91. ↑ The Gay Happiness Index. The very first worldwide country ranking, based on the input of 115,000 gay men Planet Romeo
  92. ↑ AFM Denies discrimination on basis of sexual orientation The Malta Independent
  93. ↑ Marriage Act and other laws amendment Act 2017 http://justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lp&itemid=28609&l=1
  94. 1 2 A marriage law introduced on 12 July 2017 included intended amendments to constitution to give way but will require further legislation. See also
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