Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/494410
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 12 APRIL 2015 15 government urges more women to join the labour force. Female politi- cians are likewise occupying more prominent positions today than ever before. And the recent civil unions bill – which had far-reaching rami- fications for gender roles – would have been considered unthinkable just a few years ago. This places the Gender Identity Bill in a context where Malta is changing at a very fast pace. It might also ex- plain why some people seem to be so horrified by some of the changes. "There is still quite a lot of resist- ance to changing gender roles in Malta. In other countries, too; but in Malta it is often expressed. Gen- der stereotypes are still taken for granted. Many people still express opinions that, in other circumstanc- es, they would keep to themselves. That's how ingrained it is…" Is there a psychological dimension to this resistance? What is it specifi- cally about gender issues that seems to make people afraid? "Any change instils fear in some people, simply because it's unknown. They will think: 'Today, govern- ment has introduced law. What will it change tomorrow? Where are we going?' People worry about change in itself. And when it comes to gen- der issues, there are other arguments about morality, about threats to soci- ety. However, I think there needs to be a distinction between 'liberal' and 'casual'. Yes, I think we are becoming more liberal, but not more casual. Some people are panicking that one will lead to the other. I disagree. I think it means we are more willing to move past prejudices, and let people be who they are." However, there is considerable evidence that many are unwilling to make this move. Statistics indicate that transgender people are victims of much higher rates of hate crime than any other sectors of the wider gay community. Even the crimes themselves – which include murder – tend to be more violent. Suicide levels among transgender people are likewise much higher: attributable to depression caused by social bullying. This is true for Malta, but also the rest of the world. How does one ac- count for the existence of so much hostility directed at this one category of people? Is there a psychological explanation for why issues of gender ambiguity excite so much anger and violence? Ali posits that it is a reflection of both how deeply ingrained our 'cer- tainties' about gender are; and also how much these certainties have im- pacted our social formation. "As I said, it's the first thing that defines a person when they're born. Boy, or girl. So then, when someone actively comes along and changes his or her own sex… challenging the idea that these things are set in stone... that instils fear. People may react: does it mean that everything I take for granted can be questioned? It becomes quite murky… it will force people to question themselves. If they see someone else go through gender reassignment surgery, or have a different perception of themselves than their external gender… some people might ask: 'but what about my own gender identity? Are my own as- sumptions about who I am correct?' I doubt that, on a day-to-day basis, people go through life asking them- selves these questions. But I wonder whether, at a subconscious level, the concern is there. When they see someone else challenging the cer- tainties so much of their perception of life is built on… the underlying question is, 'what does this imply for me'? Otherwise, why would they get so uptight, because someone else chooses how to live their own life? But this is my own opinion." There have been other, less openly homophobic concerns, too. Parts of the law also touch on an area where one traditionally steps at one's own risk in Malta: children. The bill rec- ognises that children may not identi- fy with the gender they were assigned at birth, and prohibits surgery until a point where the child's consent can be achieved. It may have ramifica- tions for the way gender issues are dealt with at schools. "Some of the objections I have heard were: 'but I won't be able to choose what my child is exposed to'. My answer to that is that you can never 100% control what your child is exposed to. And if they are to be exposed to anything, better at least be informed about it." Meanwhile there is another form of 'control' implicit in this reaction. Some might fear the loss of control over their children's lifestyle choic- es, too. They might have their own ideas about their children's gender identity, which are not shared by the children themselves. One innovative aspect of the law concerns the issue of precisely who controls such matters. Ali explains that the Gender Identity Bill departs from a system where the decision regarding gender identity fell to the professionals in the medical field. "Under the previous system it was the medical professionals who made the 'boxes'. In fact the law marks a significant movement away from the previous medical model, on two counts: one, it moves away from a definition of gender based on exter- nal physical characteristics; and two, it addresses the issue of who actually decides. This is not just about sexual- ity; it's also about power. Who should take decisions on behalf of other people? Professionals, or the people themselves? The Gender Identity Bill answers that people are the experts of who they are. Not a doctor, not a psychologist, not a priest." The ramifications are many and various. "It has implications for mental health. Who decides what is a mental illness and what isn't a mental illness? Transgender issues were in fact once classified as men- tal disorders. Up until fairly recently, homosexuality too was listed in the DSM… the psychology textbook list- ing mental pathologies. This changes with culture. And it's a big change: we are now saying it isn't [a pathol- ogy]. As a psychologist I find this exciting. It means it's more about the individual than about imposing a label. It really changes how we do therapy." Interview The new Gender Identity Bill challenges some of the traditional 'certainties' that many people take for granted. Psychologist and sex therapist Maria Ali outlines why these perceptions needed to be challenged always be boys PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD