Activists call on Maltese government, MEPs to support trans rights in Slovakia

Activists on Thursday staged a protest outside the The Honorary Consulate of The Slovak Republic in Valletta to express concern about the proposed bill that would make legal gender recognition impossible in the country.

MGRM co-coordinator Cynthia Chircop spoke out against the bill, which would require transgender individuals to undergo a genetic test to prove that their gender was incorrectly determined at birth, a test that would be virtually impossible for most transgender individuals to pass.

Chircop emphasised that the proposed bill would not only deprive transgender people of the opportunity to have their gender identity recognized legally but also goes against the right to self-determination and international human rights law.

“The intention of this law is clear; to dehumanise, oppress and erase the transgender community," Chircop said. "It will increase the risk of bullying, discrimination and violence that they already face. Everyone should be treated equally in front of the law, regardless of their gender identity."

MGRM called on the Maltese government to put pressure on the Slovak government to reject this bill.

“Being a passive bystander is being complicit to oppression, even if it's not in our own country. Silence is not an option because transgender rights are human rights. And human rights belong to everyone," Chircop said.

The Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement (MGRM) alongside Allied Rainbow Communities, Drachma, LGBTI+ Gozo, Aditus, Checkpoint Malta, Moviment Graffitti and MMSA organised the protest.