Educate us: 77% agree with school lessons about transgender identity

School lessons and educational material should include information about multiple sexual identities, including being transgender, according to 77% of Maltese respondents interviewed in a Eurobarometer survey on discrimination.

The Maltese are the sixth most likely in Europe to agree with this statement after the Swedes (90%), the Danes (86%), The Dutch (83%) and the Spanish (79%). In contrast only 30% of Romanians and 34% of Bulgarians agree.

The vast majority of Maltese (78%) also agree that school lessons should include information about sexual orientation, for example about being gay, lesbian or bisexual.

Students in public schools in Malta are taught about different sexual orientation and families during Personal and Social Development (PSD) lessons, which also cover other themes like responsible behaviour in sexuality.

But the results of the survey contrast with the outrage expressed by conservative activists and parents who had expressed concern over a Żigużajg performance and workshop on gender fluidity, aimed at children aged eight to 10.

Similar concerns about the exposure of children to transgender people were expressed following a EuroPride 2023 event called Dancing With Pride, after a blurry photo taken from behind the stage featuring drag artist Olivia Lilith made the rounds on social media.

65% of Maltese agree that transgender people should have the same rights as anyone else with regards to marriage, adoption and parental rights while 74% agree that same-sex marriage should be legal in the whole EU.

Compared to 2019, the percentage of those who think that ‘there is nothing wrong in a sexual relation between persons of the same sex’ has increased from 73% to 78%.

But the survey also suggests that the Maltese still think of sexual identities in binary terms, with 51% disagreeing with an ‘X’ option on official documents for persons who do not identify themselves as male or female. Significantly 44% would not feel comfortable with their children being in a love relationship with a transgender or intersex person.

More open to transgender presidency than to transgender in-laws

The Maltese are more comfortable than other Europeans with a trangender person being elected to the highest political office. While 22% of all EU citizens are uncomfortable with this, only 13% of Maltese are uncomfortable with having a transgender politician in the highest office.

But 44% of Maltese respondents replied that they would feel uncomfortable if their children were in a relationship with a transgender or intersex person. In contrast only 34% of respondents in all other EU member states.

4 in 10 uncomfortable with a Muslim in-law

The survey also shows that the Maltese are more likely than most other Europeans to feel uncomfortable with their children being in relationship with a Muslim (43%), a black person (31%), Jews (27%) and Asians (26%).

And 26% of Maltese – compared to 12% of all EU citizens – would feel uncomfortable having a person with a skin colour different from that of the majority of the population, being elected to the highest office. The same percentage would feel uncomfortable with someone who does not subscribe to Roman Catholicism being elected to the highest office.

The survey also suggests that the Maltese tend to be more intolerant of atheists than other Europeans.

While in the whole of Europe only 9% would feel uncomfortable with their children dating an atheist, the percentage increases to a staggering 26% in Malta.