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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 JULY 2017 10 News Malta: From a bastion of Catholicism to leader in gay rights SPECTRE €286,831 TOP 20 BOX OFFICE 2015 €2,236,757 Timeline oF CHANGE 1973 29 January 1973 Parliament approves decriminalisation of homosexuality, with 28 votes in favour and 26 against Decriminalisation of homosexuality came into force in early 1973, when parliament voted in fa- vour of proposed changes to the Criminal Code, re- pealing a section of the Code which made "unnatu- ral carnal connection, without the circumstance of violence" a criminal act. Under Labour Prime Min- ister Dom Mintoff, sodomy was no longer illegal. The amendments also include the equalisation of the age of consent at 18 for all sexual orientations. But in his book 'Queer Mediterranean Memories', author Joseph Carmel Chetcuti writes that then justice minister Anton Buttigieg reassured the Na- tionalist opposition that homosexual acts between consenting adults in public would not be decrimi- nalised. A recollection of the parliamentary debate at the time shows MPs, of the likes of Guido de Marco, George Hyzler and Eddie Fenech Adami, claiming that homosexuality was something that belonged to Northern Europe, mixing transvestites with prostitutes and warning of threats to the hetero- sexual family. The government dropped its objection to Cassar's claim to the right to marry and amended the Civil Code to reflect the recognition of transgender per- sons as individuals of the acquired sex with full rights, including the right to marry. A year later, thanks to Cassar's battle, a 45-year-old hairdresser married her partner of 13 years in a land- mark moment that witnessed Malta's first transgen- der wedding. Cassar herself got married in 2015. 14-04-2014 A historic moment for social justice and equality: the introduction of civil unions The giant leap forward, considered momentous, was the introduction of civil unions at par with marriage, which also gave gay couples the right to adopt. With a vote that came nearly three years after Malta legalised divorce, the world stared at Malta with for- eign news agencies pointing out that the island was "staunchly Catholic". On 14 April, 2014, same-sex unions and gay adop- tion were legalised in a 37-0 vote, when the opposition abstained due to reservations it had on gay adoptions. Crowds flocked to St George's Square to celebrate the dawn of a new beginning for gay couples who wanted their love to be recognised and treated equal- ly. But on that night, Malta also became the first Euro- pean state to have gender identity in its constitution. Through a private member's bill, PN MP Claudette Buttigieg had called for sexual orientation to be listed as protected ground. Then Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli, today Equality Minister, went on to pro- pose that gender identity should also be named in the Constitution. 2015 Malta passes Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act A Gender Identity Bill was first proposed by the Malta Gay Rights Movement in 2010 but only came into being in 2015. The law essentially allows gender recognition without invasive and humiliating proce- dures. The law allows transgender people to change their official documentation to match the gender with which they identify. Once a change is effected to the birth certificate, all other documentation, including ID Cards, passports, driving licences and academic certificates will change accordingly. The law also makes it possible for 'X' to be an op- tion, alongside 'male' and 'female' on passports and identity cards. Transgender people no longer need to go through gender reassignment surgery to change their birth certificate. Instead, a request may be submitted to the Director of Public Registry through a notarial deed, including a clear and unequivocal declaration by the applicant that one's gender identity does not corre- spond to the assigned sex in the act of birth. The act provides parents with the possibility to postpone the entry of a gender marker on their chil- dren's birth certificate. Significantly, it invests people with the right to choose the gender with which they identify, removing the decision from the medical pro- fession. 2016 Malta's first child adopted by a gay couple Toddler Ben has gone down in history as the first baby to be adopted by a same-sex couple. In July 2016, 2004 2012 2013 2014 29 January 1973 Parliament approves decriminalisation of homosexuality, with 28 votes in favour and 26 against 2004 Following pressure by the European Union, the PN government introduces sexual orientation as grounds for discrimination at the place of work 2012 Protection against hate crime and hate speech introduced on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity 2013 Joanne Cassar wins right to marry CIVIL UNIONS Malta has always been viewed as a staunchly Roman Catholic island, but its conservatism is being replaced with a progressive cape. In a span of a few years Malta introduced divorce and made huge strides forward in civil rights and liberties. MIRIAM DALLI takes a look at the moments that marked Malta's civil rights revolution