LGBTQ rights in Malta

LGBTQ rights in Malta
Location of Malta (orange)

– in Europe (tan & dark grey)
– in the European Union (tan)  [Legend]

StatusLegal since 29 January 1973[1]
Gender identityTransgender people can change gender with or without surgery
MilitaryLGBT people allowed to serve openly
Discrimination protectionsSexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics protections
Family rights
Recognition of relationshipsCivil unions since 2014
Same-sex marriage since 2017
AdoptionFull adoption rights since 2014

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Malta rank among the highest in the world.[2][3][4] Throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the rights of the LGBTQ community received more awareness and same-sex sexual activity was legalized on 29 January 1973. The prohibition was already dormant by the 1890s.

According to the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), Malta has been recognised for providing a high degree of liberty to its LGBT citizens.[5] Since October 2015, ILGA-Europe has ranked Malta first in terms of LGBT rights legislation out of 49 observed European countries, a ranking it has upheld ever since, as of 2024.[6][7] Malta is one of the few countries in the world to have made LGBT rights equal at a constitutional level.[8][9] In 2016, Malta became the first country in the European Union to ban conversion therapy.[10][11] In late 2020, Malta joined the UN LGBTI Core Group, an international platform for the protection of LGBT people from violence and discrimination.[12]

Out magazine has declared Malta as being among the best European countries in terms of LGBT rights.[13] According to the United States Department of State, Malta is a safe environment for foreign LGBT travellers,[14] and according to the LGBT+ Danger Index Malta is the tenth safest country in the world for LGBT people.[15] French agency Expert Market ranks Malta as the seventh best European destination for foreign LGBT workers.[16] A 2019 opinion poll from the Eurobarometer series indicated that 67% of Maltese supported same-sex marriage, a significant increase over a decade, and 73% believed gay, lesbian and bisexual people should enjoy the same rights as heterosexual people.

Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression has been banned nationwide since 2004. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people have been allowed to serve openly in the military since 2002. Transgender and intersex rights in Malta are of the highest standard in the world under the Gender Identity, Gender Expression And Sex Characteristics Act, which permits transgender people to change their legal gender without medical interventions and bans surgeries on intersex infants.[17] Same-sex marriage has been legal since 1 September 2017,[18] and prior to that civil unions[a] were enacted in April 2014.[19]

  1. ^ "Blackmail was likely motive for landmark homosexuality law 50 years ago today". 29 January 2023.
  2. ^ Staff (1 January 2023). "LGBT Equality Index: The Most LGBT-Friendly Countries in the World". Equaldex. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Watch: Malta is the 'gold standard' of LGBT reform, says UN equality boss". Timesofmalta.com. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  4. ^ "UN equality head praises Malta as 'beacon of human rights for LGBTIQ issues' - The Malta Independent". Independent.com.mt. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Malta 2020 Crime & Safety Report". Overseas Security Advisory Council. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Malta ranks first in European 'rainbow map' of LGBTIQ rights". MaltaToday.com.mt.
  7. ^ "Country Ranking". Rainbow-europe.org. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  8. ^ Malta among just five countries which give LGBT people equal constitutional rights, The Times of Malta
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference constitution was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference therapy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference therapy1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Malta joins the United Nations Core Group for LGBTI Issues". Times of Malta. 18 November 2020.
  13. ^ Leone-Ganado, Philip (16 February 2016). "Malta being promoted for gay travel". Times of Malta.
  14. ^ Debono, James (24 May 2018). "Malta tops the gay rights league but daily life can still be a struggle for some". Malta Today.
  15. ^ Sultana, Neville (17 November 2019). "Malta Has Been Ranked The 10th Safest Country in the World For LGBTQ People". Lovin Malta.
  16. ^ "Les meilleurs pays européens pour travailleurs LGBT". Expert Market (in French).
  17. ^ "ILGA-Europe". Ilga-europe.org. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  18. ^ Pace, Yannick (12 July 2017). "Malta legalises same-sex marriage, as parliament votes in favour of marriage equality bill". Malta Today. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  19. ^ Rix, Juliet (2019). Malta. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 9781784770709.


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