Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/871892
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER 2017 3 News DENISE GRECH A SIGNIFICANT number of transgender people are turning to prostitution to help fund hormone treatment and gender reas- signment surgery, social workers and NGO workers have told MaltaToday. Sources who work closely with transgender clients say that 'at least 75% of the cases they see' have resorted or are resorting to sex work to have access to hormone treatment. People who engage in sex work may become vulnerable to drug trafficking or addiction. "Shame that comes from working in prostitu- tion can lead to drug taking, making individu- als vulnerable to addiction and increasing their chance of being arrested," the source continued. Transgender individuals also resort to an online black market, where they can access hormones at a lower price. "Doctor's pre- scriptions and endocrinologists' advice is disregarded in an effort to get access to treat- ment as quickly and cheaply as possible," Co- lette Farrugia Bennett from Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM) has said. The situation seems to be changing however, as awareness grows and society becomes more accepting. "Most of the people I met who turn to prostitution are now in their thirties or for- ties. They felt unprotected by the laws and needed to turn somewhere for some financial safety," said the MGRM representative. Gilbert Calleja, the photographer and au- thor of Liminal – a photographic exposé into the Maltese transgender community – warns against generalisation. "Social back- ground, stigma and support from family can result in loss of job opportunities, leaving people with no other choice than to turn to prostitution," Calleja said. There are currently no statistics on the number of transgender individuals incarcer- ated for loitering. Transgender individuals desiring gender reassignment surgery currently have to trav- el abroad for the operation, incurring costs of €25,000 to €30,000, Farrugia Ben- nett estimates. Free gender reassignment surgery would facilitate ac- cess to surgery, which "is not cosmetic, as many seem to think. For those who need it, [surgery] is therapeu- tic", a source said. Hormone treat- ment can average €100- €500 every three months, depending on the physical development of the client. Mater Dei does not currently offer hor- mone therapy, although the La- bour party revealed plans for state-funded hormone treatment prior to the election. The Health Department is currently prepar- ing a medical brief on gender reassignment surgery for discussion with relevant stakehold- ers, the Ministry for Health confirms. The situation "does not at all surprise" ac- cording to Lauren Salerno, an openly transgen- der individual who moved to Malta after facing discrimination in her home country, the UK. "I lost my job because of my identity," she said. "I went from a state government job in the UK to having no job". Upon moving to Malta, Salerno struggled to find work after being told, "no one will employ [someone transgender] for a cus- tomer-facing job". "I was also told that I wouldn't get some jobs because in the uniform I would look dif- ferent than other women," said Salerno. A 2008 study by Malta Gay Rights Move- ment (MGRM) shows that transgender people reported very negative work experienc- es. "Many trans people are found within the lower-skilled jobs, not necessarily because they are less skilled but for the simple fact that they are not hired," said one respondent. "When left with no option, some resort to doing sex work." "Since many of us don't find a job, many end up in prostitution," said another. "It's a bad image but you don't blame them because if you don't find a job and you need money… you can never know what could happen to me!" The study continued to argue that trans em- ployees who had recently started transitioning were forced to leave their jobs either by their employers or through the conditions at work. Under the Equality for Men and Women Act, the National Commission for the Promo- tion of Equality protects transgender people from discrimination in the workplace. It outlines discrimination as being "based on sex or… gender expression or sex char- acteristics, and includes the treatment of a person in a less favourable manner than another person is, has been, or would be treated on these grounds." A black market for hormones is being fuelled by the lack of free resources available for transgender people Some transgender people resorting to prostitution to fund hormone treatment Lauren Salerno THE police are looking for a 50-year-old man who is suspected of having stabbed a man, grievously injuring him, during an ear- ly morning argument in St Paul's Bay. The identity of the victim is not yet known. The police communications office said that the police's assistance was requested in Triq il-Korp tal-Pijunieri, where they found the victim on the ground after having been stabbed with a sharp and pointed object. An ambulance was called on site and the man was transferred to Mater Dei Hospital. NO one was injured when a truck belonging to national waste agency WasteServ over- turned on Constitution Street, Targa Gap, Mosta. The truck, which was turning at the round- about, overturned, luckily avoiding other cars. The driver also escaped unhurt. Police were called on site to redirect traffic. A 60-year-old man from Valletta died in hospital yesterday morning after an acci- dent at a shooting range, where the firearm he was using developed a technical problem. Police said that at 11am they were called to the shooting range in Handaq, on the out- skirts of Qormi, where they found the man had been hit by a bullet from his own fire- arm because of 'technical problems'. An ambulance was called on site to trans- port the man to Mater Dei Hospital, where the man was later certified to have died. The duty magistrate has launched an in- quiry into the man's death and appointed a number of experts to assist. Police investigations are continuing. Man, 60, dies in firearm accident at Handaq shooting range Search on for suspected stabber Driver escapes unhurt after truck overturns